


And Then We Were Three

by foreveragain87



Category: Original Work
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst and Humor, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bi-Curiosity, Blow Jobs, Break Up, Butt Plugs, Coming of Age, Conflict Resolution, Control Issues, Double Anal Penetration, Drama, First Kiss, Gags, Handcuffs, Implied/Referenced Underage Prostitution, Jealousy, Light Dom/sub, Modern Era, Multi, Oral Sex, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Abuse, Past Child Abuse, Personal Growth, Piercings, Polyamory, Porn With Plot, Premature Ejaculation, Regret, Restraints, Rimming, Slow Burn, Spanking, Teenage Rebellion, Threesome - M/M/M, Thruple, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-10
Updated: 2019-03-29
Packaged: 2019-06-25 11:36:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 45
Words: 103,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15639960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foreveragain87/pseuds/foreveragain87
Summary: This is an original work of mine that I've had in my head forever.  Just a little story of how a couple become a thruple, and how they handle the issues that come along with that.





	1. The Kid

**Author's Note:**

> Character Information: 
> 
> Jason: Age 16. Small framed, longer blond hair, blue eyes. All alone in the world, dealing with his troubled home-life. Somewhat naive and looking for someplace to belong. 
> 
> Corey: Age 18. Sandy brown, curly hair and green eyes. Happy personality, good sense of humor and kind-hearted. Looks at the bright side of life. Doesn't take life too seriously. 
> 
> Rob: Age 21. Dark hair and brooding eyes. Muscular build. Serious personality with a no-nonsence approach to life. He's worked hard for everything he owns in his difficult life. He's closed off and brooding, dealing with his own inner demons. The complete opposite of Corey.

Corey had just finished the process of shutting the restaurant down for the night. He let the cook and waitress out of the back door and then flipped the light switch off before exiting himself and locking the door. As he stepped out into the cold winter's night he could see it had started snowing.

“Great,” he thought. The 18-year-old walked through the now empty parking lot to where his car was parked. It was a beat up, broken down mess, but it got him back and forth to work every day. He jumped in and turned the heat up to high. “Christ, it’s cold!” he mumbled as he rubbed his hands together, wishing he had brought some gloves. He could see his breath inside the car even after several minutes of letting it warm up. Oh well, good enough, he thought. He’d probably be home before the heat really kicked in anyway.

He pulled out of the parking lot and took a left onto the main road. The snow was already starting to stick to the ground. He couldn’t wait to get home and get warm under a blanket on the couch and watch some TV. Just then something caught his eye. It was a young teenage boy on the sidewalk....not really walking, not really standing, just kind of bouncing up and down a bit in the cold. He recognized him as the teen that had been coming in the restaurant for the past few nights. He never had enough money to get anything to eat, but usually had enough change in his pockets to get a hot chocolate. Corey recalled how annoying it was to have to count out dozens of nickels and pennies each time the kid came in - he never had an actual dollar bill. Once done, the teen would sit there alone for another hour or two until the restaurant was closing. And what was really odd was that the kid wasn’t properly dressed for early winter. He only had a hoodie – no winter jacket.

Corey drove past him. Something seemed up with that kid and the thought crossed his mind that perhaps he should stop. But then again, it wasn’t any of his business, was it? The kid surely had a place to go – he was too young to be on his own. Nope – he was going to just keep driving. It was cold and snowy and he had worked eight hours on his feet and just wanted to get home.

He had only driven about two blocks when he felt a pang of guilt in the pit of his stomach. He knew in his gut that kid had nowhere to go. Nowhere to go, not enough money to eat, not even a warm coat to stay warm in. "Ah, shit!" He hit the steering wheel with his hand. “Dam it,” he thought to himself. He was going to regret it, but his conscious had gotten the better of him and he decided to go back. He banged a U-turn when he could, and headed back in the direction of the restaurant.

He scanned the sidewalk where he had last seen the kid, but he was not there. Good. Perfect. Maybe the kid actually went home. Maybe his dad came and picked him up. But just then, about a block up in front of him, he saw the teen. He was sitting down on the ground, hugging his knees, and tucked back tight against the glass door to a hardware shop. The shop was closed and in darkness, but the awning overhead offered a little shelter from the falling snow.

Corey pulled the car over, hit the passenger window button, and waited for it to glide down so he could speak. “Hey? You’re the kid from the restaurant, right? What the hell are you doing? Are you crazy? Get in and I’ll give you a ride.”

The teen lifted his head up that had been tucked down on his pulled up knees. He wanted to get into the warm car, but where would he ask to go? He had nowhere to go. But he certainly couldn’t say that. How do you tell someone that you’re completely homeless and lost in the world, especially someone you don’t even know? The teen just shook his head no and put his head back down on his knees before his tears could show.

“Hey! Hey!” Corey shouted loudly. It was cold and he wasn’t in the mood to play games. When the teen didn’t respond, he threw the car in park, jumped out the driver’s door and walked over to the teen, grabbing him by the elbow. “Come on, I ain’t playing games. I wanna get home myself tonight. Get in the friggen car.” He guided the teen to the passenger side door, opened it up and lightly pushed him in.

Corey ran around to the other side and jumped in. “Fuck, it’s cold!,” rubbing his hands together again. “Friggen heat! Come on – work!” The teen just stared at him and blinked. Corey ran his hands through his light sandy brown hair, which was a mop of curls, and tried to shake the snow from it.

“Okay, so where to? Where do you live anyway? I hope it’s not far – I really wanna get home tonight.”

“Nowhere” was the reply.

“Huh?” Surely he hadn’t heard that right.

“Nowhere. Got nowhere to go. Been sleeping in the park, but it’s too cold tonight. I don’t know where I’m gonna go.” The boy stopped and let out a stifled sob, turning to the passenger window so Corey didn’t see the tears.

“What the fuck, man. Are you serious? You a runaway or something?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Well yeah, okay. I get it. It’s not my business. Why don’t I take you to the police station and they can...”

“NO! I’m not going there! They’ll make me go home. You’re not taking me there!” The teen reached for the door handle to make a break for it, when Corey reached over and stopped him. “Okay, okay, fine! I won’t take you there. Calm down. It’s cool. But listen, I can’t leave you out here all alone tonight. You’ll freeze to death. Why I don’t take you back to me and my roommate’s place. You can take the couch for tonight and then tomorrow we can figure something out, okay.”

The teen's breath hitched a little and he choked back some tears. “Yeah, okay. That’d be good. I’m freezing,” he said with a shiver. Corey glanced over at the teen’s thin hoody – it was already soaking wet from the heavy snow that had been falling.

“I’m Corey by the way. You got a name at least?”

The teen nodded. “Jason,” he said quietly.

“Okay Jason. Let’s get you someplace warm.” Corey banged another U-turn and they were at his apartment in a few minutes. Corey led them into the building and they began to ascend the three flights of stairs to the third floor. “So look, my roommate is...well...he’s kind of a dick sometimes,” Corey said with a laugh. “Sometimes he’s great and sometimes he’s a little hard to deal with. So if he’s not in a great mood don’t take it personally okay?” Jason nodded his head. He really didn’t care if his roommate was Satan himself. The sound of a warm, dry couch to sleep on tonight instead of a hard park bench sounded like heaven.

Corey unlocked the door to the apartment and led them in. It was completely dark except for the flickering light of the TV. Jason could see another young man sitting on the couch. The man turned his head around as they entered the apartment. “Hey, I was getting worried about...” he stopped short when he saw Jason. “Who the hell is that?” he asked.

“Well, this is Jason. Uh – I hope you don’t mind, but I offered him our couch for the night. That’s okay, right?”

“Why the hell would you do a stupid thing like that?” the man shot back.

“Well, cuz it’s freezing out and he’s got nowhere to go, Rob. Can he just stay the night? It’s just one night. It’s snowing like hell out.”

“Why doesn’t he just go the hell home?”

“Well...um...” Corey looked at Jason to see if he wanted to explain that situation himself, but Jason just stared down at the floor, shuffling his feet. “He’s homeless, Rob. He’s a runaway.”

“Take him to the friggen police station and be done with it,” said Rob as he turned back around to look at the TV again.

“No, he won’t go. He doesn’t want to be sent back home again. Just...just...come on man," Corey pleaded. "It’s just for one night. He’s a good kid. He’s not gonna bother anyone on the couch.”

“How the hell old are you?” Rob turned back around and asked the teen.

“Sixteen,” Jason replied quietly.

Rob snorted. “Did you frisk him for knives or a gun? I don’t want to be murdered in my sleep.”

“Oh for Christ’s sake, Robbie. He’s just a kid.”

“Yeah well, fine. Just for tonight though. You’re gone first thing in the morning, kid. And you don’t get the couch till I’m done watching the football game,” Rob stated bluntly.

Jason walked over to a recliner chair and sat down. It felt wonderful to be in a warm room, in a comfortable chair, with a television on. He felt almost normal again. He had been living outside, barely scraping by, picking up loose change off the street and sleeping on a park bench for seven nights. It had been hell, but less of a hell than the one he had been living at home. He removed his soaking wet hoodie and laid it on the carpet to dry.

Corey went out to the kitchen and in a few minutes came back with some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. “Here – I’m no Rachel Ray, but I make a mean PB&J” he laughed as he set the plate down. Jason grabbed a sandwich and ravenously woofed it down...he could’ve eaten 10 if Corey had made that many.

“Oh, so we’re feeding it too?" Rob asked sarcastically. "I thought we were just providing the couch?”

“Oh shut up, Rob. It’s not a big deal.” Corey sat on the couch beside Rob. Rob appeared to be a little older then Corey. Jason judged him to be in his early 20’s. He had strong, broad shoulders and looked like he worked out. He had dark brown hair and intense brown eyes. Even in the darkened room Jason noticed his eyes. He clearly wasn’t thrilled that Jason was here, but Jason was so tired and cold it really didn’t matter. He’d leave in the morning and try to figure out his next move would be then. He’d worry about that tomorrow.

“You and your friggin’ bleeding heart,” Rob laughed as he playfully pushed the younger man’s head to the side. Corey laughed back. “Yeah, I know. I’m the next Mother Theresa.” Rob reached his arm up and over and rested it on Corey’s shoulder as Corey leaned in and put his head on Rob’s chest. Corey then placed his hand on Rob’s thigh and gently squeezed it.

Jason took a hard swallow on his PB&J as it slowly dawned on him. He now fully understood why Rob wasn’t thrilled that he would be on the couch tonight. The two of them were in a relationship and this was a small studio apartment. There was no wall separating the bed....the ONE bed...from the living room area. This was going to be uncomfortable, but far less uncomfortable than being outside in the cold he surmised. He finished his sandwich and sat back in the recliner....praying the football game would be over soon so he could go to sleep.

“Hey! The couch is yours kid.” Jason startled a bit upon hearing the words as he had already nodded off in the recliner. He opened his eyes to see Corey placing a spare pillow and blanket on the sofa for him. “There you go. You need anything else?”

“No, no. That’s good. Thanks. Um – Corey? I really appreciate this. I...I’m sorry if I....I’m sorry if I’m intruding.”

“No worries” replied Corey. He lowered his voice a little and leaned in to Jason’s ear. “I told you he can be a dick sometimes, but once you get to know him he’s a really good guy.” Jason nodded, not fully believing him.

Rob and Corey took turns going in and out of the bathroom, changing their clothes, and brushing their teeth. Jason adjusted his pillow and blanket, kicked off his wet sneakers, and laid down on the couch. He watched as Rob and Corey eventually climbed into their bed together and turned out the light. And within mere seconds of his head hitting the pillow, Jason was asleep.


	2. A Hot Shower

“Wake up, Sunshine!” Jason startled out of his sleep. Where the hell was he? He blinked a few times and remembered what had happened the night prior. He was on the couch of two guys that he barely knew. And oddly enough he hadn’t slept so good in he didn’t know how long. So much better than the park bench that he had used for the last week. He stretched and yawned and sat up to see Corey smiling at him from the kitchen area.

“Frosted Flakes or Lucky Charms?” Corey held a box up in each hand and shook them for added effect. Jason walked sleepily over to the small kitchen table. “Um, well...which one does _he_ like better,” gesturing with his head toward Rob who was sitting on the edge of the bed, busy checking his phone.

“Him? He’s more of a Frosted Flakes man himself.”

“Okay. Lucky Charms then.” The last thing Jason wanted to do was annoy Rob even further by eating his favorite cereal.

Corey slid a bowl across the table to Jason, and then grabbed one for himself and the two began to eat.

“So, you’re leaving us now, huh? What a shame. Well it was nice having you – don’t forget to write,” said Rob dryly as he looked up from his phone.

Corey looked up from his bowl of cereal. “There’s six friggin inches of snow out there. You can’t just throw him out right now. He doesn’t even have a hat.”

“I’ll give him a hat,” Rob replied matter-of-factly.

“Oh come on, don’t be so heartless. Let him take a shower and we’ll figure out where to bring him later, okay? It’s only 7:30 in the morning.”

Rob stared Corey down. “Look. I gotta go to work. When I get home tonight, I want him gone, okay? I don’t care what police station you drop him off at, or whose front door you deposit him on....but he needs to be gone. Understand?”

“Yeah, yeah, fine,” replied Corey, shoveling a spoonful of cereal in his mouth. “I got everything under control,” he mumbled with a full mouth. “Oh wait a minute!” Corey jumped up, grabbed the coffee pot and poured some out into a metal tumbler. He tossed two sugars in and a splash of milk before screwing the lid on. He then opened the fridge and grabbed a brown paper bag and handed them both to Rob. “Don't forget your lunch. Have a wonderful day, Dear!” Corey said with a huge smile.

“Ah, my domestic diva. What would I do without you?” Rob smiled fondly at him.

“Starve, probably.”

“Yeah, probably. Remember, he’ll be gone when I get home.” Rob leaned in to give Corey a quick kiss, then headed out the door to work leaving the remaining two alone.

“So, you wanna take a shower?” Corey asked, noticing the other's unkempt hair and dirty face.

Jason nodded his head gratefully. “Yeah, but I don’t have anything clean to change into.”

“Oh, well no problem. You look about the same size as me....well, actually you might be a little smaller. How much you weigh?” Corey asked.

Jason shrugged his shoulders while Corey looked him up and down trying to size him. “Well, Rob’s clothes would be way too big on you. I think mine might do better. Lemme see what I got.” He went to a bureau and started rummaging around, then came back with an armful of clothes. He handed Jason a pair of sweatpants, a Green Day T-shirt, socks and underwear.

“Just throw your dirty stuff in the laundry basket in the bathroom. I gotta run down to the laundry room and do the wash anyway. Rob’s out of clean shirts. I’ll have all your stuff cleaned and dried by lunchtime.”

“Okay – thanks.” Jason walked into the bathroom and set the clothes down on the vanity. He turned on the hot water, undressed and tossed the clothes he had been wearing for a week straight into the laundry basket as instructed. He stepped into the hot shower and heaved a huge sigh. Hot water! It felt so good and comforting. He grabbed a bottle of shampoo and washed his hair that he knew was filthy, and then found the soap and washed up the rest of himself. He could’ve stayed in that hot shower all day long, but he knew Corey was waiting to get that basket of laundry.

Jason came out, drying his hair with a towel and wearing Corey’s clothes. They were a little big, but he wasn't in a position to be picky.

“Hey, you look like a new man! Feel better?”

“Oh God yeah. That’s felt awesome.”

“Great. So I’m gonna run down and toss this laundry in. I’ll be back in a few minutes okay?” Corey stuck his hand in a glass jar and pulled out a bunch of quarters for the machine and took off with the basket of laundry under his arm.

Jason was left completely alone in the apartment for the first time. He took a few moments to look around the area. It was clearly an apartment occupied by two guys. Nothing fancy. Not even curtains up in the window. In one corner of the apartment was a weight bench that he presumed to be Rob’s. The place was sparsely furnished, just the bare necessities. But hell, it was a lot more than Jason had to his name.

He walked into the kitchen area. There were some photos of Corey and Rob on the refrigerator held in place with magnets. Rob had his arm over Corey’s shoulders in one of them. In another they were both making faces and sticking their tongues out. It looked like they were at party or maybe a concert. Rob looked incredibly happy in the photos. Jason smiled a little. Maybe someday he would have someone who loved him and made him happy like that. But that was somewhere off in the future. Jason’s main problem today was....where was he going to go? It was far too cold to sleep in the park tonight, and Rob had insisted that he be gone by the time he returned home that evening.

Corey came back into the apartment, huffing and puffing from running up all three flights of stairs. “I’m back! Miss me? HA HA!”

Jason laughed a little at Corey’s enthusiastic re-entrance into the apartment. He really liked Corey. He was probably one of the nicest people he had ever met. How many people would offer a complete stranger a place to crash for the night? He had been out on the streets for an entire week and Corey was the first person to offer any help at all. Jason’s own mother probably didn’t even give a crap where he was.

Corey put the empty laundry basket on the table. “So I was thinking, maybe we could....” He stopped and looked intently at Jason. “Hey, what’s up with your face?” He could see black and blue bruising under Jason’s left eye. He had noticed it last night, but in the darkness had thought it was just dirt and grime. But now in broad daylight, with his face freshly washed and his clean hair brushed away from his face, he could see it was definitely a black eye. His bottom lip was also swollen and split.

“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about,” turning his face away from Corey.

Corey reached out and grabbed Jason’s face with his hand so he could look at his bruised eye better. “Come on, sit down for a minute.” He guided him to the couch. “Dude, what happened? You okay?”

“I really don’t want to talk about it. It’s not a big deal.”

“No! It _is_ a big deal. Did your dad do that?”

Jason shook his head in the negative. “No. I don’t even know who my dad is. My mom’s boyfriend hit me, all right? It’s no big deal, but that’s why I can’t go home, okay? So just drop it please!”

"I just wanna help," Corey said softly.

Jason paused a moment as he felt his eyes sting with the start of tears. He then began to tell Corey his story. The night he left his house his mother’s boyfriend had been on the rampage over something, drunk out of his mind as usual, and had stormed into Jason’s room yelling at him. Jason had no idea what he had done this time. He remembered how the man grabbed him by the shirt collar, yanked him off the bed and threw him up against the wall. He had banged Jason’s head off the wall a few times making him dizzy, all while screaming in his face and making no sense.

Jason’s mom had come running into the room. At first he had thought his mother might make an effort to stop the attack, but she just started yelling at Jason as well. She always took her boyfriend’s side...no matter which boyfriend it was that week. Jason remembered how he had struggled and tried to push the man off of him in order to escape. He didn’t even see the closed fist when it came at him. All he remembered was coming to, dazed and confused on his bedroom floor, his face stinging, his lip split and bleeding, and the two adults standing above him and yelling at each other. That was the end for Jason. After years of similar experiences, he had had enough. He got up and ran out the door, not stopping to grab anything. He ran out of that apartment with nothing but the clothes on his back and kept running.

Corey just looked at him, trying to process everything he had told him. Corey had been thrown out of his own house three months earlier. His dad had never hit him, not ever. In fact, they had had a fairly good father/son relationship his entire life, but when he had finally mustered the courage up to tell his dad that he was gay and in a serious relationship, his dad had hit the roof. The ultimatum was that he stop seeing Rob completely, or he was no longer welcome in their house. The decision for Corey was an easy one. He loved Rob, was tired of living a lie to please everybody else, and so he left the house and hadn’t been back since. Rob had in turn taken him in since Corey had nowhere else to go. So Corey could relate to Jason on some level. Not with any of the physical abuse, but certainly the emotional.

“I understand now” Corey said softly. He took his hand and squeezed Jason’s shoulder. “It’ll be okay. We’ll figure something out.”


	3. "He Was Supposed to be Gone"

Rob sat in his truck at his work site and finished eating the lunch Corey had packed for him. It was snowing again. He had hoped that by the time lunch was over the snow would have stopped and he could continue on with work, but that apparently wasn't going to happen. The foreman at the construction site called it a day and sent everybody home after only half a day's work. His paycheck was going to suck next week because of this. No work meant no pay. 

Upon arriving home, Rob climbed the three flights of stairs to his apartment and opened the door. To his surprise the kid was still there....fucking great. He felt his blood start to boil. He was already in a bad mood by losing half a day's pay and the kid had been instructed to be gone. 

“Before you start yelling,” Corey started, jumping up off the couch with his hands in the air, “We can’t send him home Rob. He’s not safe there. We have to think of something else.” 

“Corey – I told you he had to be gone. I don’t have time to deal with this shit. You bring a stray animal home and expect me to feed it and find it a home and....” Rob stopped suddenly, glaring at Jason. “Is that the T-shirt I bought you, Corey? The one from the first concert we ever went to together?” Rob’s eyes took on an angry tone. 

“Oh God yeah, I’m sorry. I just gave him the first shirt I got my hands on. Hold on, we’ll change it.” Corey ran over to the bureau and pulled out a plain white T-shirt. Jason quickly pulled the Green Day T over his head and handed it back to Corey. The shirt clearly hit a nerve with Rob. Corey placed the shirt in the bureau before turning his attention back to Rob. 

“Look at this, Rob!” Corey pushed Jason forward a bit, grabbing and turning his face so that Rob could have a better look. He brushed Jason’s long blond hair away from his face until Rob had a clear view of the boy’s eye and swollen lip. 

“Whoa, that’s quite a shiner. How long ago you’d get that?” Rob asked, seeming to have calmed down a bit from the whole shirt episode. 

“About a week,” Jason whispered, completely embarrassed.

“A week? Jesus! You must’ve gotten clocked good for it to still be this bad!” Rob had no idea how right he was. Jason’s eye had been swollen shut for two days before he could even open it. It still looked pretty bad, but nothing like it had been last week. Rob took his thumb and pulled down gently on Jason's lip to inspect it, exposing the inside where it had begun to heal, causing Jason to wince slightly. 

“His mom’s asshole boyfriend did it, Rob. And this wasn't the first time. Don’t send him back home, please? I mean, you understand what’s he’s going through, right?” 

Jason turned his head quickly to look directly at Rob. Why would Rob understand what he was going through? He wasn’t sure what Corey was talking about, but he noticed Rob’s demeanor change a bit. It seemed to soften a little. 

“Yeah, yeah.” Rob ran his hands through his hair to give himself a moment to think. “I don’t know how this is gonna work, Cor. He can’t stay here forever. The landlord won’t allow three people in this studio. And I can’t afford another mouth to feed. I just lost four hours of pay today because of the snow.” 

“It’ll just be for a few days. Until we can put our heads together and think of something, okay?" Corey said quickly. "I’ll ask Eddie at work if I can take home any screw-ups that he cooks when I go to work tomorrow. He always messes a few orders up and I know he’ll let me have them. That will help with the food. And he don’t look like he eats much anyway,” he finished, glancing at Jason, who in all honesty looked like barely weighed 100 pounds soaking wet. 

Rob sighed. “Yeah, okay. Just a few days though.” He looked at Jason, who had kept his head down during this entire back and forth. The kid looked ashamed and embarrassed. Rob didn’t want the kid here, he couldn’t afford it, and it was most certainly going to interfere with his love life. But Corey had a tender heart. And Rob had to admit that he saw a bit of himself in this street kid. He had walked in his shoes only a few years earlier himself. 

Jason stood silent, not having anything to say. He had nowhere else to go and on top of it the other two now knew he was beaten on a fairly regular basis at home. He wanted to crawl up inside himself and die from the humiliation. 

Corey put an arm around his shoulder. “So it’s settled. We’ll figure something out. In the meantime, you can stay on the couch, okay?” 

Jason hung his head and nodded. A barely audible “Thank you” quietly slipped from his lips. 

Corey laughed and happily headed out into the kitchen. “I’m gonna make my famous Kraft mac and cheese with cut-up hot dogs in it for dinner. Sound good?” 

Rob turned around and sulked over to the couch and turned the TV on with the remote. Jason just stood there, feeling as alone as he had ever felt.


	4. Walmart

Jason stood at the sink and finished washing up the day's dishes. Two weeks had passed since he first arrived. Rob and Corey would come and go to and from work, and in return for their couch and food, Jason did the dishes and tried to keep the small apartment as clean as possible. Rob had hit the roof the day before when the electric bill came in and was higher than usual. So tonight they were going to use some candles and keep the apartment lights off to see if they could get the bill down for next month. 

As Jason finished putting the last plate away in the cupboard, Corey came through the door with some take-out boxes. “Guess what?" he laughed. "Eddie screwed up four orders this afternoon – HA! He let me take them all home!” He tossed the containers on the kitchen table. That would be tonight’s dinner which would save a little on their grocery bill. 

Jason smiled at him. Corey seemed to have a way of making everybody smile he came in contact with...even Rob. And that was a tall order in and of itself. 

A short time later, Rob came home himself. “More fucking bills” he grumbled as he tossed several pieces of mail onto the kitchen table. Jason shuffled a little, feeling suddenly uncomfortable. He knew his presence was causing more stress to them. They ate their dinner in relative silence, then headed over to the living area as they normally did each night. 

Rob and Corey settled in on the couch and Jason took his designated spot in the recliner. A sort of routine had started among them. Most nights, about a half hour into watching TV, Rob would usually take the blanket Jason used to sleep with and would throw it over himself and Corey. Their hands were always covered, but Jason knew something was going on underneath that blanket. He tried to pretend like he didn’t notice...this was their apartment and he understood their privacy had been taken away. But it was so uncomfortable. Last night he made the mistake of looking over in their direction during the middle of something, causing Rob to yell back “Eyes on the fucking TV!” 

Jason very carefully side-glanced at them out of the corner of his eye, not wanting to get scolded again. What he wouldn’t give to have someone love him, someone to put their arm around him the way Rob did to Corey. That must be the best feeling in the world he thought to himself as he returned his gaze to the TV. 

For the past two weeks, Rob and Corey had wracked their brains trying to figure out what to do with Jason. They tried to see if they could locate other relatives who might take him in. They called some youth organizations and anonymously asked what options there were. Nothing really panned out to the point that sounded like a good fit so that he wouldn’t get turned back over to his mom or foster care. Rob had gone through foster care himself and he didn’t want Jason to end up there if there was any way possible. Jason was a good kid, a quiet kid. And aside from the small bit of extra food and hot water they were going through, he wasn’t as huge a burden as Rob originally thought. The apartment was small, but the kid managed to keep himself out of Rob’s way for the most part. The elephant in the room was always nighttime - the kid on the couch, and the other two trying to quietly have sex in their bed. 

From his position on the couch, Rob eyed the teen who was curled up in the recliner watching TV, nervously chewing on the end of the sleeve of the oversized sweatshirt he was wearing. Each day the kid appeared in yet another ensemble of clothing that belonged to Corey, and sometimes even an item or two of Rob's. He noticed how the clothing fell off of him, causing the kid to practically swim inside of them. 

Rob sighed to himself as he studied the kid. He had really hoped they could have shipped him off to an aunt or uncle by this point, but with them seeming to have come to a dead end, it looked like he might be staying a little bit longer than expected. 

"Come on guys. Put your shoes on," Rob stated as he rose from the couch. 

"Where we going?" Corey chirped, always up for an outing. 

"Walmart," Rob replied glumly. 

Corey turned up his nose and frowned. "Walmart? Why?"

"The kid needs some clothes of his own. I'm tired of him chewing on the sleeves of my sweatshirts." 

Jason immediately lowered his arm, removing his teeth from the wet material, and blushed. 

"Can we get him his own underwear too?" Corey asked. "I'd kind of like to stop having to share mine. No offense Jason, but ya know? No dude wants to wear another dude's drawers." 

Jason nodded. Wearing somebody else's clothing was one thing, but underwear was certainly another. Even if the only thing Rob purchased for him was underwear he would be greatly appreciative. 

The three piled into Rob's old car and made their way to the local store. Once inside, Rob grabbed some T-shirts, sweatshirts, a few pair of jeans, and socks. As the rounded the aisle, they came upon the underwear section. Rob picked up a package of a size small men's underwear and looked at the weight chart on the back. He shook his head. "Nope. These are gonna be too big I think," he determined.

"Oooh! How about these Jay?" Corey laughed, holding up a package of little boy's Spiderman underpants and waving them in his face. 

Jason angrily knocked them out of the other's hand, not appreciating the joke, causing Corey in turn to pick the package up off of the ground and pelt Jason in the back of the head with them. 

Hearing some sort of scuffle going on behind him, Rob quickly turned around. "Guys! Knock it off!" he scolded. The look he gave them left no doubt that he wasn't appreciating their goofing around. 

Corey sheepishly placed the Spiderman underwear back on the rack as Jason shot one more annoyed glare in his direction. 

"What about these?" Rob suggested wearily, holding up a pack of solid colored underwear from the boy's section, but a larger size. 

"Those are fine," Jason whispered. 

"Wonderful. We can go now," Rob stated dryly as they headed for the checkout. 

"$159.53" the cashier stated as she bagged the items up. 

"Shit," Rob mumbled under his breath. "This is friggen Walmart for crying out loud, not Abercrombie & Fitch." 

Jason shuffled his feet and chewed on his lip, feeling very uncomfortable. He knew that was a lot of money for Rob to have to come up with for him. "We can put back a pair of jeans. I only really need one pair," he offered. 

"No, no. It's fine. Don't worry about it," Rob grumbled as he counted out the $100 in cash that he had brought. Being about $60 short, he debited the balance. Somehow he would have to replace that before the rent was due on the 1st of the month. 

They walked out to the car and Rob popped the trunk and placed the bags inside. As he closed the trunk and stepped back, Jason suddenly lurched forward, throwing his arms around Rob's neck and burying his head into his chest. 

"Thank you, Rob," he muffled. "You didn't have to do this." 

Corey grinned at the uncomfortable look that had suddenly washed over Rob. He was standing as stiff as a board, arms down at his sides, and not exactly sure how to respond to the unexpected gesture of gratitude. The only body part he moved were his eyes to look at Corey, as if pleading with him as to how to handle the situation. Rob looked like a deer in headlights. 

Corey took his arms and brought them tightly across his chest in a hugging motion, indicating for Rob to reciprocate. 

Hesitantly, Rob took one arm and awkwardly patted Jason's back. Corey stifled a laugh at how uncomfortable his partner clearly was at this moment. For somebody who always prided himself on being in control of every situation, Rob was clearly out of his comfort zone at this moment. 

"Okay....yeah, we're good now, right?" Rob asked in an attempt to end the uncomfortable exchange. There were people milling about in the busy parking lot and he felt rather conspicuous, like an object on display. Two guys hugging each other in the Walmart parking lot wasn't something you saw every day. 

Jason pulled back, smiled, and jumped happily into the back seat of the car as the other two got into the front. As they began to drive home, Rob glanced into his rear view mirror. Jason had the biggest smile on his face he had ever seen that went from ear to ear. The annoyance of the shopping trip having gone over budget immediately washed away. He'd recoop the money with some overtime when the weather improved, he was sure of that. It was a small price to pay to make the kid happy with something as basic as clothing. 

A small smile emerged on Rob's face as well as he continued to drive.


	5. Back to School

"Eat your dam vegetables," Rob barked out.

Jason frowned as he pushed his carrots around the plate with his fork. He had made great efforts to be agreeable and do as he was told while staying with Rob and Corey, but this whole vegetable situation was wearing thin. Rob was health conscious and vegetables were served every night and expected to be eaten.

Jason's time in the apartment was drawing in on one month and in those four weeks, he was fully certain he had consumed more vegetables than he had in his entire lifetime combined.

"Eat!" Rob ordered again, clearly seeing the attempt being made to hide the carrots underneath the mashed potatoes.

"Why do we have to have vegetables every single night," Jason complained.

"Because they're good for you," Rob replied. "I know the two of you would be happy to live on junk food, but it's MY apartment and MY rules."

Jason scowled and shoved a carrot in his mouth, trying to swallow it quickly before he had to taste it. It went down hard and he gagged a bit, causing him to grab his glass of milk to wash it down.

Rob let out a heavy sigh of frustration as Corey smirked and stifled a laugh.

"Let's get dinner done before midnight, shall we? You start back to school tomorrow, remember?" Rob stated.

Jason rolled his eyes at the mention of it. The thought of going back to school was almost as distasteful as the carrots he had to swallow.

Once it appeared that Jason's one night stay was turning into something a bit more, Rob had decided that he need to him back into school before the truancy officer came knocking. Jason had managed to make contact with his mother on the phone a few nights earlier and she readily agreed to her son staying at "a friend's house" as he had told her. In fact, after Rob himself had spoken on the phone to her, it seemed that she was almost elated to hear her son wouldn't be coming home. She didn't know Rob from a hole in the wall - he could have been a serial killer for all she knew, but nonetheless she quickly agreed to it, which completely baffled him.

At any rate, her granting parental permission would allow Rob to get him back in school using his address and phone number as an emergency contact. The school was informed that Rob would be acting as a temporary guardian while Jason's mother was "ill" and "recovering." At least that's what the school presumed to be the situation.

As Jason continued to sulk over his plate of carrots, Corey brought his clean plate to the kitchen sink and began to make Rob's lunch for work the next day. He took out two brown paper lunch bags and placed them on the kitchen counter. He then grabbed a sharpie and wrote "Jay" on one of them.

"What's that for?" Jason asked.

"You're lunch for school tomorrow, silly!" Corey laughed. "I'm gonna make you a PB&J cuz I know you like those. And I'll throw in an apple and..."

"A Twinkie?" Jason asked hopefully.

"Only if you finish the friggin' carrots," Rob replied as he dropped his own dinner plate into the sink.

Jason shoveled the last of them into his mouth, swallowing them as quickly as possible and downed them with the last of his milk. He then brought his plate over to the sink as well.

Corey smiled and grabbed a Twinkie out of the cupboard and placed it inside the brown paper bag. He then opened up the refrigerator to place both lunches inside for safe keeping until morning.

Jason looked at the two paper bags placed side by side on the top rack, one with his name scrawled across it. It was a small gesture, but one that made him very happy. Jason had never had the luxury of somebody taking the time to make him a lunch. Most days at school he simply went hungry. It felt good to know that somebody actually gave a crap whether he ate or not.

"Thanks Corey," he smiled.

"Awww - it's nothing!" Corey replied.

It was nothing to Corey perhaps, but to Jason it meant the world.

***********************************************************

Corey pulled his car up to the front of the high school at 2:45 p.m. and looked around for Jason. In the distance he could see him talking to a couple of girls. He beeped his horn to get Jason's attention. Corey watched him saying goodbye to the girls, both of whom was giggling and smiling to each other as Jason hopped into the car.

"How'd your first day back go?" Corey smiled and asked as he started to pull away from the curb.

Jason shrugged. "Okay I guess. You know, I don't mind taking the bus home."

"Oh, it's fine. I'm not working today so I didn't mind." Corey side-glanced over at his passenger to see if he could read him. "So...which one is your girlfriend?" he asked as they drove past the two girls who were on the sidewalk waving and still giggling.

"Huh? Neither one," Jason frowned. "They're just friends."

"They clearly like you, man. I can tell. All that giggling and flipping their hair around while they talked to you. They were totally flirting with you."

"Pfft! Oh, really? Since when are you an expert on GIRLS?" Jason laughed.

"Well, it might surprise you, but I had a girlfriend in high school."

Jason turned to look at his friend. He had no idea that he had actually dated a female before being with Rob. "Really?" he asked a bit surprised.

"Sure. I dated a few different girls in high school before I...you know, figured out that girls just weren't for me," he smiled.

"So...have you ever...? You know...um...slept with a girl?"

Corey laughed out loud. "Of course! I actually lost my virginity with a girl. Does that surprise you?"

"I dunno...I guess a little."

Corey was silent for a moment before he continued. "I think that's why my dad took the news so hard. I always had lots of girls around me in high school. Most of them were just girl FRIENDS, not girlfriends, but I think my dad thought I was some sort of ladies man or something, you know?" he laughed. "So when I actually came out to him, he just didn't know how to handle it. I think it really blind-sided him."

Jason nodded. He then decided to ask a question that had been on his mind since he first arrived at their apartment. "So...how did you meet Rob?"

Corey kept his eyes on the road and smiled as he recalled the memory. "My dad needed our roof done and our back deck expanded, so he hired the construction company Rob works for. They were at our house for almost a week and I used to look out my bedroom window and watch Rob work on the deck, or go up and down the ladder to get on the roof. Dam he was so friggin' hot!" he laughed out loud. "He had these cut-off jean shorts on, construction boots, a T-shirt that showed off his biceps, and he was tanned all over. Whoo - holy shit!" Corey took his hand and pretended to wipe sweat off his brow to illustrate how attracted he was to Rob.

Jason giggled at the gesture. "But how did you know he was into guys? Cuz...well....I would never think Rob was gay just by looking at him."

"That's just the thing Jay - you can't judge a book by its cover. But honestly, I didn't know if he was into guys either. All I knew was that he was the hottest guy I had ever seen and I had to talk to him. So one day I walked out in the backyard when all the guys were on break and I just started up a conversation. Just small-talk, but I threw a few little things out there to see if he'd bite or give me a sign. I told him I was about to turn 18 and asked him if he had ever been to that new club that had just opened up downtown on Main Street."

"That's a gay club, isn't it?" Jason asked.

"Yep. I figured if he was straight, he'd get pissed off that I asked him, and then I'd just play dumb and say I had no idea it was a gay club since I'd never been there," Corey stated.

"So what did he say?"

Corey laughed upon remembering. "Well, first he asked me why I wanted to know. I told him I had heard about it and I wanted to go on one of their under 21 nights. I said something like 'I'd really like to go, but I don't want to go alone', just kind of throwing it out there. I guess in a way I kind of asked Rob out first," he chuckled.

"And then Rob said to me, 'You know that's a gay club, don't you?' And I just kind of smiled...said nothing. He knew right then and there. We exchanged numbers, talked a bit on the phone, and he took me there a few nights later. And from there on I've been with nobody but him. He's definitely the one for me."

Jason nodded, although with Rob's relatively grumpy attitude contrasting with Corey's bright one, they did seem a bit of an odd couple. "But how do you know he's _the_ one?" he asked.

"Because he loves me. He doesn't say it often, he's kind of closed off, but I know he does. That sentimental sappy stuff just doesn't come easy for him."

Jason nodded in agreement. Rob clearly couldn’t be described as sentimental. Cranky and ornery perhaps, but not sentimental.

"He makes me happy," Corey stated softly, staring at the road in front of him. "You just don't know him like I do and..." he paused for a moment. "He's just had a hard life, that's all. And I understand him, I guess."

Jason nodded silently.

"Anyway," Corey concluded, figuring it was time to change the subject, "You should really ask one of those girls out. You gotta start dating at some point."

Jason sat back and looked out the car window as he pondered it over. He didn't feel any particular attraction to either girl, but it would be nice to be in a relationship and have somebody to care about.

"Yeah. Maybe I will," he said quietly.


	6. A Practice Kiss

Jason stared into the bathroom mirror trying hopelessly to get that one chunk of hair to fall the way he wanted it to. He was going out on his first date and was beyond nervous.

Seeing the frustration on his face, Corey stepped into the bathroom and stood behind him in the mirror. "Here, let me help." He grabbed a comb and some styling gel and with a few quick hand movements had managed to tame Jason's mop of hair into something a bit more acceptable.

Rob leaned against the doorframe of the bathroom, watching the primping and preening session play out.

As the two stepped out of the bathroom, Rob walked over to do a last minute inspection. "You look good. At least your clothes fit. Don't be nervous," he offered. "Just be polite, don't curse, hold the door open for her...all that polite shit."

Jason laughed nervously as he chewed on his thumbnail. Rob was going to drop him off at the movies soon where he was going to meet a girl from school and have their first date. He had played out the whole night in his head a million times...what he would say to her, what she might say to him, and so on. There was just one thing gnawing at him and he wasn't exactly sure how to approach it to ask for advice.

"Stop chewing your nails, you dope!" Corey laughed as he swatted Jason's arm down. "You're gonna be fine tonight - don't worry."

"Umm...well...there IS one thing that's bothering me," Jason said hesitantly.

"What it is?" Rob asked.

"I...I...I," he stuttered, then shook his head as if having second thoughts. "Nevermind. It doesn't matter."

"No, no - tell us!" Corey stated. "We want to help you."

"It's just...well...I've never kissed a girl. What if she wants me to kiss her? I don't know how and I don't want to feel stupid. I don't want her to go to school on Monday and tell her friends that I was terrible and have them all laughing at me for the rest of the year." Jason looked down at the ground and shuffled his feet, feeling self-defeated before the date had even begun.

"PFFFT! Kissing? Is that all?" Corey laughed. "It's easy. Come here - I'll show you."

Jason's eyes opened wide at the offer. "Huh?" he asked. He had been hoping to get some verbal tips on what to do, but wasn't expecting a hands-on, or lips-on for that matter, demonstration.

"You don't mind, do you Rob? Just so he feels comfortable tonight?"

Rob chuckled and shook his head. "You're crazy...but sure. I don't care." Rob was secure in his and Corey's relationship. Having Corey show the kid how to kiss was no big deal to him. Besides, the kid had nobody else to ask or go to for help on the matter.

Corey took Jason by the elbow and brought him over to the couch so they were facing each other. "So - it's easy. You just lean in like this ---"

Corey came in and placed a soft kiss on Jason's lips, held it for a few seconds, and then leaned back. "See? Nothing to it!" he smiled widely.

Jason had seen kissing on TV and that wasn't quite the type of kiss he was concerned about. "Um...I think I can do that. It's that whole tongue thing that has me confused. Where do you put it? How long do you leave it in? How do you know what to do with it once it's in? And where do I put my hands?" he asked, working himself up again into a panic with worry.  He already felt socially behind by not having dated yet and failing miserably on a kiss tonight was making him almost nauseous. 

Corey glanced over his shoulder at Rob to get approval before going any further in the demonstration. Rob raised a slightly perplexed eyebrow and shrugged his shoulders. "Uh, yeah, I guess so. You can show him."

"Okay. Open your lips just a little," Corey instructed. Jason did as he was told and Corey leaned in again, only this time he slipped his tongue inside his mouth. Jason froze for a moment at the unusual sensation. It was kind of gross having somebody's wet tongue in your mouth, but as he allowed Corey to demonstrate, Jason began to relax and tried to pay attention so he would know what to do tonight - just in case.

Corey then positioned Jason's arms around his back, and then placed his own hand behind Jason's head to illustrate the question of what to do with his arms.

Rob watched as the kissing lesson carried on.  He had a lot of personality traits, but jealousy was not one of them. His relationship with Corey was solid and secure - more than any other relationship he had had. In an odd sort of way, he found himself somewhat amused. It was certainly strange to see the person you love kissing somebody else, and yet it was almost a turn-on at the same. Although watching Corey do just about anything was a turn-on for Rob.

Corey used his hand to turn Jason's head in one direction or another, encouraging him to mimic the tongue movements he was showing him, when all of a sudden Jason busted out laughing, spraying spit all over Corey's face in the process.

"Whoa, dude?! What the fuck," Corey stated as he wiped his face dry with his sleeve.

"I'm sorry - you tickled me with your hand on my side," he laughed.

"Well, don't do that tonight or you won't have a second date," Corey laughed.

"Knuckleheads," Rob chuckled under his breath.

"Hey Rob? Show him that thing you do with your tongue when you kiss me. I can't do it as good as you can."

Both Rob and Jason simultaneously had a look of shock spread across their faces.

"Uh...no. I don't think that's a good idea at all," Rob stated firmly.

"Awww," Corey replied. "But you're the best kisser. You could probably show him way better than me."

"That's okay," Jason stated quickly, sensing Rob's reluctance. "I'll be fine. You showed me a lot, Corey. Thanks. Um, can you drive me now, Rob? I don't want to be late."

"Yeah, good idea. Let's go," Rob mumbled, relieved to be out the sticky situation Corey had created.


	7. A Small Breakthrough

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rob gives Jason a tiny bit of insight into why he is the way he is.

Rob sat down at the kitchen table across from Jason who was busy with his homework. He passed a plate of reheated lasagna to him that Corey had made earlier and left for them as he had to work tonight. Jason eyed the plate as he took it, grateful for no trace of vegetables to be found.

The two ate silently, Rob not being one for chitter-chatter, and then he retreated to the living area and began to watch a football game leaving Jason alone at the table.

Once done with his homework, Jason took his usual place on the recliner chair and attempted to follow the football game. He didn't really understand what was going on or the penalties being called, but he didn't want to ask Rob to explain it either. He generally tried to be as invisible as possible during his stay with them.

"JESUS CHRIST!" Rob yelled suddenly, throwing his arms up in the ear and causing Jason to nearly jump out of his chair. "Fucking idiot! What a stupid play that was!" He grabbed the remote and turned the game off in a huff.

With the apartment now suddenly dead quiet, Jason felt a bit awkward in Rob's presence. Corey was always the buffer between them, so whenever he worked nights there was an uncomfortable silence between the two. Neither one seemed to know what to say the other, so they generally just sat and watched television until Corey came home. But with the game being turned off abruptly, they suddenly found themselves just silently looking at each other.

Sensing the uncomfortableness, Rob decided to make a feeble attempt at some small-talk. "So, you didn't say too much about your date last night? How'd it go?"

"Um...okay I guess," Jason replied.

Rob nodded, "Good...good. That's...uh...that's good." _'Well, that's it,'_ he thought to himself. _'I got nothing else to ask him.'_

Jason cleared his throat and decided to ask some questions that he had been wondering about since he got there, hoping it wouldn't make Rob angry. 

"Ummm...Rob? Can I ask you something?"

"Hmmm? Oh yeah, sure. What is it?"

"Well, I've just been wondering...how come you don't mention your family at all?"

Rob took a deep breath, debating whether or not to even answer him. He didn't like talking about his past. It took several months of dating Corey before he even felt comfortable talking to him about it - and this kid he had only known for a little over four weeks.

Sensing his hesitation, Jason quickly spoke. "It's okay. I know it's not my business. You don't have to talk about it." He turned on his side in the recliner, legs tucked in underneath him and arms close to his chest and began gnawing on the end of the sleeve of his sweatshirt as he was prone to do. He often sat in the chair this way as some sort of attempt to make himself as small and invisible as possible by getting into the fetal position.

"Well..." Rob began slowly, causing Jason to turn around in his chair to face him again. "My mom died of a drug overdose when I was 6. Never knew who my father was. I ended up in foster care after that. I had an older brother, but we ended up getting separated so I haven't seen him in about 15 years. I don't even know where he is now to be honest," he stated sadly. "I got bounced around from foster home to foster home for a few years. It kinda felt like each one was worse than the last. I ran away from a lot of them. The last one was the absolute worst - my foster dad used to get drunk and beat the living shit out of me and the other kids in the home. So when I turned about 14 or so, I kind of just ran away for good. Nobody ever came looking for me - I guess I just kind of fell through the cracks in the system, you know?"

Jason stared back wide-eyed. "But...how did you take care of yourself if you were only 14?" he asked, knowing how difficult his own one week out on the streets had been.

"I was street-smart," Rob continued. "I stole...I hustled...I did what I had to do. I'm not proud of it, but when you're hungry and cold, you'll do almost anything. After a couple months of being on the street and sleeping outside, I met this guy who said he could give me a place to stay. I thought I hit the jackpot, you know?" he smiled slightly. "I thought maybe FINALLY something was gonna go right for me, but..."

Rob paused for a moment and took a deep breath. "But nothing's free in life. There were things I had to do for him in return...things I'm not proud of. Things that I can't really tell you. But...but more or less, he ended up putting me out on the streets to work for him...doing things a 14-year-old shouldn't have to do." His voice dropped off at the end to almost a whisper as a feeling of shame overcame him.  

Jason blinked a few times, trying to process all that was being told to him. This was the most Rob had opened up to him in the month he had been there. He began to understand why Rob could be cold and distant. It made sense now. Anybody who had spent their youth in that kind of a situation would have to put a wall up.

Rob continued on. "But I guess...I guess when Corey brought you here that night, I saw a little piece of me in you. I didn't want to send you back home where you'd get the shit kicked out of you. And I didn't want to turn you out into the streets because I know you wouldn't survive long out there. It would destroy you. There are people out there that would pounce on you - you'd be their prey in a second...you wouldn't make it on the streets. You're too pretty."

Jason grinned slightly. He wasn't completely sure if being called pretty was a diss or a compliment, but he assumed Rob meant it as the latter, and he also understood what the implications could be for somebody so small and "pretty" like himself being out on the streets in this neighborhood.

"Anyway, I guess that's about all I can tell you," Rob stated with a heavy sigh as he reached for the remote control, needing to end the conversation. "Let's see what else is on besides the football game, okay?" He found a comedy movie to put on, which he assumed would entertain the kid better than the game, and sat back on the couch.

The recliner Jason was sitting in was angled off to the side a bit so it would fit in the small studio. Knowing he didn't have a very good a view of the TV, Rob motioned to him to come over to the couch and patted the cushion where Corey usually sat. Surprised, Jason got up hesitantly and took the place he was being offered, a bit taken aback at the unusual friendly gesture.

"Corey's not home tonight, so it's okay. I know you can't see the TV that great from that chair."

Jason settled in on the couch beside Rob. He was relieved at the apparent breakthrough they had just seemed to have. After having assumed Rob couldn't stand the sight of him, he was starting to see that there were a lot of layers to Rob. And that Rob actually DID care what happened to him, even though he had no real obligation to.

Out of the corner of his eye, Rob side-glanced at the kid as he began to watch TV, laughing softly every once in a while when something amused him in the movie. Rob smiled to himself. He saw so much of himself in this kid. Hopefully with a little nudge in the right direction, he could get him going down on a path far better than the one he had traveled down just a few years before.


	8. I Want You...Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the first chapter where things begin to heat up a bit.

"Hey! I'm home!" Corey barked as he busted through the door of the apartment at 11:00 p.m.

Rob quickly turned his head around from the couch, holding his finger up to his lip. "Shhhhhh!"

Corey stepped around the couch to see that Jason had fallen asleep and was half slumped on Rob's left arm. "Awwww! You guys did some bonding, huh?" he laughed.

"My friggin' arm is going to sleep," Rob grumbled. "Push him that way without waking him up, will ya?" he asked.

Corey gently leaned Jason in the other direction so that he was lying down on the couch, allowing Rob to stand up and shake some feeling back into his arm. Corey then picked Jason's feet up and placed his legs on the couch and threw a blanket over him. Once done, he turned his attention to Rob.

"Awww - look how cute he is! He's out like a light." Corey stated. "So you guys got along well tonight I see?" he smirked.

Rob mumbled something inaudible under his breath, pulled his T-shirt off, removed his jeans, and climbed into bed. After Corey made a visit to the bathroom to brush his teeth, he flipped off the light and got into the bed himself.

Rob immediately grabbed him in his strong arms and pulled him in close to kiss him. "I want you," he whispered. "Now!"

Corey grinned. He was usually the initiator of sex since the kid had arrived, so it was nice that Rob was doing so tonight. "I have to warn you - I smell like grease and French fries!"

"Mmm...I don't care what you smell like. I want you so bad." Rob quickly climbed on top of Corey and proceeded to kiss him all over his face, neck and upper chest. He then swiftly removed both of their underwear while remaining concealed under the blanket.

Rob ran his hands up and down Corey's sides, feeling the smooth skin and dips and curves of his lower back and ass. For the last month their sex life had been limited, consisting of a rushed hand job on the couch concealed by a blanket, or a quick blow job once they crawled into bed. But actual sex, at least in the way they liked it, had been all but impossible for fear of waking the kid up in the middle of it. That would have been embarrassing to everyone.

The conversation Rob had had that night with Jason about his past had stirred up a lot of bad memories and all he really wanted right now was the comfort of Corey - _his_ Corey.  He loved everything about his younger boyfriend - his sandy curls that fell in his eyes, his green eyes, his smart-aleck smile and sense of humor, not to mention his lean and twink-like frame. While kneeling, Rob used his legs to push Corey's legs wide apart. "Spread 'em," he demanded as he stared down into those bright green eyes.

Corey looked up coyly at him, bit his lower lip, and placed both of his arms above his head. Nobody did submissive better than Corey. They were complete opposites outside of the bedroom, but in bed they were like two pieces of a puzzle that fit together perfectly. Rob was an alpha male and liked to be in control, and Corey was perfectly happy to submit to his dominant partner.

Rob leaned over to a side drawer and grabbed a tube of lube. He took some in his hand and began to stroke his now completely hardened manhood.

"Mmmm....want it," Corey hissed as he watched.

"Shhhhh," Rob reminded him. "Gotta be quiet." He knew that was asking a hell of a lot expecting his partner to be quiet. Corey was vocal and while Rob normally loved that about him, he knew if Corey went off like he normally did they would most definitely wake the kid.

Once done slicking himself up, Rob took a bit of lubricant on his middle finger and began to rub Corey's ass with it, making slow, circular motions to prepare him. He stared down as Corey bit his lip and wriggled about on the sheets, his body clearly wanting more. Rob took his finger and entered Corey and when a loud moan emanated from his partner, Rob quickly leaned over and began to kiss him in an attempt to silence him.

Rob removed his finger, it having been far too long since had been properly inside his boy, and quickly plunged deep inside that tight, warm space that he had grown to love more than life itself. Another moan emerged from Corey, this time much louder than the first one.

"Shhhh," Rob panted in the other's ear, but to little avail. Corey grabbed the sheets with his fists, dug his heels into the mattress, and continued to bite down on his own lip until it was red in a futile attempt to remain quiet - it just felt so dam fucking good. It had been weeks since Rob had been inside him and he needed this so bad.

Rob continued to slowly push himself in and out, over and over, adjusting his hips every now and then to hit the spot that he knew Corey loved. He would have preferred to go at it all night to make up for lost time, but he knew he wasn't going to last much longer.

"Ugghh....gonna come," he grunted in Corey's ear.

"Oh God! Oh fuck! Me too."

Corey relieved himself over his own stomach while Rob came inside Corey's ass. Rob slumped over Corey's body as he came down from his orgasm, with Corey feeling the pulsation deep inside his ass that began to slow down and then eventually stopped.

"Fuck I needed that," Rob smiled and whispered.

"Mmmmmm......me too." Corey replied, running his hand through the thick dark hair on the back of Rob's head.

Rob pulled out and grabbed his discarded T-shirt to clean them up a bit. Corey then turned over on his side, allowing Rob to slip in behind him to spoon. "I love you, Robbie" he said quietly as he began to nod off to sleep.

Rob smiled and nuzzled his head onto the back of Corey's neck. The "L" word didn't come easy to him, but Corey knew how he felt, even if he didn't say it.

Over on the couch, Jason released his index fingers from his ears. Thank god they were done.


	9. Snow Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Jason gets a little more history on Corey and Rob's past, Corey discovers something he didn't know about Jason.

Rob pulled the covers up tighter under his chin as he rolled over in bed. His body was as accurate as an alarm clock and he internally knew he had about 10 minutes before he had to get up for work.

Sensing that somebody was staring at him, he opened his eyes to see Jason's large blue eyes just mere inches from his face, kneeling on the floor beside the bed. Rob sprung back a bit in surprise. "What the fuck? What do you want? You scared the shit out me?" he barked.

Jason pointed to the window. "It's snowing really bad. I turned on the TV and the news said they cancelled school today." The large grin that emerged on the kid's face demonstrated how disappointed he was at the snow day.

Rob sat up in bed and looked over toward the window. "Shit," he said under his breath. Not only did this mean no school, but his foreman would probably be calling him any minute to tell him not to come to work due to the weather. And that would mean another day of no work/no pay. Rob was really beginning to stress about how he was going to pay the rent the following week.

Corey yawned and stretched in bed before opening his eyes. "What's going on?" he asked sleepily while rubbing his eyes.

"Fucking snow! No school! Probably no work for me either!" Rob huffed.

Corey leaned over to pull Rob back down on the bed and wrapped his arms around him. "So that means we can just lie in bed together all day, right? Look on the bright side," he stated as he tried to snuggle.

"There is no bright side," Rob snapped as he removed himself from Corey's embrace. "I'm not even sure I'm gonna have all the rent money by next week." The tone in Rob's voice concerned both boys, but especially Jason. If Rob lost this apartment, that would leave Jason back out on the streets again. A bit of panic began to fester in the pit of Jason's stomach.

Corey tried to smooth over the situation as best he could. "It'll be okay, Robbie. The restaurant hardly ever closes - I'm sure somebody will call out today and I can pick up their shift."

"You don't get it, do you?" Rob asked. "What you earn won't cover the rent. I can barely cover it myself without some overtime and I'm barely getting 30 hours a week with this shitty weather. We're totally fucked!"

A tiny choking sound from the side of the bed caught Rob and Corey's attention. It was obvious that Jason was trying to hold back his emotions as he chewed nervously on his fingernails. "Here Jay, sit down on the bed. It's _gonna_ be okay," Corey consoled him as he patted the bed with his hand.

As Jason climbed on the bed and settled in with them, Rob's cell phone rang. "I knew it. I fucking knew it," he growled and answered the phone.

Corey and Jason remained silent and listed to the one-sided conversation that lasted about one minute. There were several "Uh-huh's" and a few "Okay's" and then Rob finally hung up the phone.

"What? What is it? Tell us?" Corey pleaded.

"My boss purchased a few snow plows. He asked me if I wanted to do some plowing today instead of construction work. Same pay, and probably overtime since it's going to snow all day." He smiled at them in relief, knowing that he could now cover this month's rent.

"See? I told you!" Corey shouted happily with a big smile on his face. "Things are gonna be okay! Now give me a kiss, Grumpy Gus." Corey grabbed him and planted a kiss on his boyfriend's lips.

"So, I gotta go," Rob stated. "The kid's gonna be home all day with you, Cor. You two gonna be okay here?"

"Of course we are!" Corey said brightly. "We're gonna lay around in our underwear and be lazy, watch cartoons, eat cereal...all sorts of fun stuff. Aren't we, Jay?" he laughed.

Jason nodded his head and smiled, very relieved that the pending rent issue had seemingly been solved - at least for this month.

Rob headed into the bathroom to shower and dress and then left for work, leaving the two other boys to fend for themselves for the day. They started the day off watching TV - about two hours of Spongebob Squarepants and then a rousing episode of The Price is Right. At noontime Corey made them some soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.

As they began eating, Jason asked, "How long has Rob had this apartment?"

Corey looked up from his soup. "He moved in on his 18th birthday. He couldn't legally rent it or sign a lease until then, but he had it all planned out and had been saving up the rent since he was 16."

"He saved his money for two years to live here?" Jason asked rather surprised.

"Yup. He was in a pretty bad situation when he was your age. Nobody was looking out for him, so he had to do it all himself. He was out on the street hustling and stuff and whatever money he made he had to hand over to the scumbag he lived with. Rob might get to keep $5 or $10 - but he had to cough up the rest."

Jason shook his head in disbelief. He couldn’t imagine Rob, at the same age he was right now, having to live that lifestyle and take care of himself.

Corey took a bite of his grilled cheese and continued on. "So....from what Rob told me, and he didn't tell me a whole lot cuz he's embarrassed about it, but he was basically selling himself on the street to keep a roof over his head. And if he didn't come home with as much money as the night before, he'd take a beating for it. So when he was 16 he secretly started working for the same construction company that he works for now...just doing grunt work during the day, but under the table. The guy paid him in cash and Rob hid the money real good so the asshole he was living with at the time wouldn't find it and take it all on him. So Rob just bided his time, and counted the days down until he turned 18. Then on his birthday, he signed the lease and handed the landlord first and last month's rent, and a security deposit - all on his own. He had no bed or TV in here...he had absolutely nothing."

Corey pointed to the floor, causing Jason to look in that direction. "He told me that he slept the first night right there on the hardwood floor. Used his hoody for a pillow. All he had were the clothes on his back. I guess he got furniture and stuff little by little, when he could afford it."

Jason was a bit in awe as he began to realize how self-determined Rob must have been from a very young age. What a sad and hard early life Rob had had - it was no wonder he was the way he was.

"Wow. That's amazing he could do all that by himself with no help from anyone," Jason stated.

"Yeah. It is, isn't it?" Corey said. "It's kind of ironic, cuz when I was 16, I had everything I wanted handed to me on a silver platter. If I wanted a pair of $200 sneakers, I had them the next day. If I wanted a $500 iPhone, it was mine - no questions asked. I had no idea other people had to work so hard for the most basic of things. I guess I didn't appreciate any of it at the time. You don't know what you got till it's gone, I guess," he stated sadly. "But it's not the material things I miss anymore. It's all the other stuff I took for granted. Waking up on a Sunday morning and smelling the bacon my mom was cooking downstairs. My dad throwing the football around in the backyard with me or pitching a tent with me in the summer. Holiday dinners, family time...that kind of stuff." Corey's face had taken on a faraway look to it as he sadly remembered.

Jason felt a brief moment of envy as Corey spoke. He never had a single one of those experiences. Sure, Corey was missing those moments now, but at least he had had them.

"When's the last time you talked to your folks?" Jason asked.

"Well, my dad I haven't spoken since the night I left the house. But my mom I still talk to. I text her and she calls to check on me. She feels stuck in the middle. She wants me to come back home so bad, but my dad is really struggling with it."

"Why don't you call your dad and try to talk to him?"

"I dunno. I just don't think I'm ready yet," Corey said quietly.

Jason nodded and decided to change the subject. "You told me before how you met Rob, but when did you and him actually...um....you know..." Jason asked, not wanting to overstep the bounds of what was appropriate to ask, but being very curious about how such two complete opposites became an actual couple.

Corey laughed out loud. "You mean the first time we fucked? HA! Oh man! Well, I would've been totally down for it on our first date, even though they say you should never sleep with someone that quick. I'm not a slut - but for Rob I totally would've done it on the first date. But he was so respectful on our first date - the perfect gentleman. We made out for a while in his car before he drove me home. He's an awesome kisser! I was kind of bummed he didn't ask me back to his apartment cuz I would've totally gone," he laughed out loud.

"The second date - I think we went to see a movie or something. And I just came out and asked him point blank if he would show me his place. I guess I kind of initiated him taking me home because I was afraid he wouldn't do it," he grinned. "So we came back here, made out on the couch for a bit, and then we ended up in bed," nodding his head in the direction of the bed. "Just a blow job though. He told me he wanted to 'take his time' with me. But it was the most amazing blowjob I had ever had in my life - guy or girl."

"The third time we went out we ended back here again and...yeah, that was the night. The third time's the charm, so they say," Corey's face took on a dreamy expression as he recalled that special night in his head. His voice was softer as he continued talking.

"Rob was just - God, I don't even know how to explain it, but....super attentive? I guess that's the word I'm looking for. He knew I hadn't had much experience with guys, and so he went kind of slow, just kept asking me if I was all right, you know? I'd never really experienced that before and it just made me feel really special that he cared enough to take his time and that it wasn't just all about him and what he wanted. And it was AMAZING! Best sex ever. When it was all over, we just layed there for a few minutes, not really saying anything for a bit. And do you know what he said to me then?"

Jason shook his head in the negative and leaned in a bit more, anxious to hear the answer.

"He pulled me in really close, stared directly into my eyes, put his hand on my face and said, ' _I really care about you Corey and I don't want you to leave tonight. Will you stay with me?'_."

"Whoa," Jason whispered, surprised at how tender Rob could apparently be under the right circumstances.

"Yeah," Corey nodded. "I knew right then and there he was the one. I could tell I wasn't just some one night stand for him. I told my parents I was going to crash at a friend's house that night and I spent the whole night here with him. And it wasn't too much longer after that that I wanted to be completely honest with my parents, so I came out to them and told them about me and Rob. I just loved Rob so much and I wanted my parents to get to know him...I figured they'd love him just as much as I did. But...but things just didn't go the way I had hoped."

Jason patted his friend on the shoulder. "I'm sorry. But you're really lucky you have Rob. I hope I have that some day...somebody who really cares about me."

"You will Jay, you will. You're a good looking kid - I'm sure the girls are falling all over themselves to get to you at school," Corey laughed.

Jason lowered his eyes, not sure if he could talk to Corey about the things he had been feeling lately or not. But he had nobody else to talk to. Technically his first kiss had been with Corey. Sure, it was only a "demonstration" kiss, but it was still his first. His second kiss had been with a girl and the more he compared the two, the more confused he became. The kiss with Corey had awakened feelings inside him that he hadn't known existed. The kiss with the girl...not so much. He wasn't sure what any of it meant. Some nights he would lie awake on the couch at night trying to figure it all out. Did he like boys? Did he like girls? Did he like boys AND girls? Or was he just fucked up and confused?

"Umm...what if...I mean...what if it's not a girl that I end up with?" he asked, keeping his eyes on the floor.

"You don't like girls?" Corey asked, a bit surprised.

"I _do_  like girls," Jason replied. "I mean, I _think_  I like girls. But I think I might also...umm..."

Corey laughed out loud, startling Jason a bit who didn't really see this as anything to laugh about. But as he looked at Corey's face, he realized he wasn't laughing AT him at all, just trying to put Jason at ease.

"You're saying you might like boys too, huh? You're probably bi, Jay. And there's nothing wrong with that," he said reassuringly. "In a way, it's the best of both worlds! But let's do a test just to make sure. If you saw a really hot girl - you know, like with blond hair and big boobs, and beside her was a really cute boy with a great body and ass, which one would you rather go out with if you could only choose one?"

Jason thought for a minute. How could you pick somebody just based on looks without even knowing them? "I guess whichever one was nicer...whichever one made me feel happy...and safe. Isn't that more important than what's between their legs?" he asked.

Corey smiled and nodded. "You're only 16 - still figuring things out. Go out with some girls, go out with some guys. You'll know what's right for you when you meet the right person. "

Jason nodded, hoping that he was right.

*************************************************************************

A few minutes before 2:00 a.m. Rob climbed the three flights of stairs to their apartment and entered the dark studio. He assumed both boys were sound asleep at this late hour. He was grateful for the overtime that had come his way due to the heavy snow, but he was beyond beat. He quietly kicked off his boots, removed his coat, hat and gloves, and shook the snow out of his hair. He was completely drained from snow plowing all day and just wanted to crawl into his warm bed and go to sleep.

As he walked toward the bed he stopped short. The moonlight from the window offered enough cascading light over the bed for him to clearly see Corey laying on his back, and Jason curled up on his side with his head on Corey's shoulder. He noticed a flicker of light from a tablet precariously balanced on Corey's stomach. Apparently the two had been watching something on the tablet in bed and had fallen asleep. Curious as to what they had been viewing, Rob pressed the history tab to see.

He chuckled silently to himself as he scrolled through the title of each YouTube video they had watched: _"Cats Being Assholes," "Funny Cat Compilations," "Adorable Otter Eating Lettuce"_ and dozens more, all of a similar nature.

Rob turned off the tablet to set it on the nightstand. _'Stupid animal videos,'_ he thought silently. ' _Well, at least Corey didn't turn him onto internet porn._ "  He then leaned over, planning to shake the kid awake, but then stopped. The kid was awfully cute when he was asleep Rob thought - blond hair falling over one eye, all curled up in a ball and tucked in as close to Corey as he could get. ' _The little shit,'_ Rob thought to himself as he looked down on him sleeping peacefully. The kid had woken him up from a sound sleep this morning and now he was fast sleep in his bed. But in a few hours Rob would have to get up again for work anyway, so at this point why wake him? He reached down to grab the comforter and pulled it up higher so that both boys were properly covered. He then walked over to the couch, settled himself in, and immediately fell asleep.


	10. The Photo

Jason packed his books and papers up, placed them all neatly into his backpack, and left the library. He had spent the better part of his Saturday there in an attempt to get a research paper done that was due for English class on Monday. He walked the few blocks back to the apartment, zipping up Corey's hand-me-down coat a little higher on his neck to keep the cold out. He arrived at the apartment complex, climbed the steps, and as he opened the apartment door, Rob and Corey immediately stopped talking and turned quickly to look at him.

"Ummm...is everything okay?" Jason asked, sensing he had interrupted something.

Rob stepped forward. "Yeah, yeah. Everything's fine. We were just...uh...talking and uh. What I mean is, if you ever need to talk to someone about, you know, stuff and...um....dating and stuff..." he awkwardly struggled in his attempt to find the right words. "You can always talk to me is all I'm trying to say," he eventually blurted out.

Jason shot Corey one of those "if looks could kill" glares. It was apparent that Corey had told Rob about the conversation they had had the night before. And while Jason hadn't specifically asked Corey to keep it to himself, he had assumed that was understood. They had become pretty good friends in the time that he had been living with them and Jason felt betrayed.

"I'm sorry Jay - I know you're mad. It just kind of slipped out when me and Rob were talking. Don't be mad at me," Corey pleaded.

Jason threw his heavy backpack on the floor with a loud thump and turned his back, not wanting to speak to or even look at Corey.

Corey stepped forward and put a hand on Jason's shoulder. "Hey, it's not a big deal..."

"IT IS A BIG DEAL!" Jason screamed at the top of his lungs as he spun around and pushed Corey's arm away, causing Corey to stumble back.

As Jason began to lunge forward at him again, Rob quickly jumped in between the two to deescalate the situation, if that was even possible. Rob put both of his arms out to the sides so that he was touching each of their chests, making sure the two weren't within swinging distance of each other.

"Whoa, whoa, let's just calm down, okay?" Rob interceded, keeping his eyes on Jason who was seething and breathing heavily.

"You're over reacting!" Corey snapped back while keeping a safe distance. "You're being stupid!" he pointed angrily in Jason's face.

Jason hurled himself forward again, arms swinging, and even though Rob was able to hold him back, he did manage to grab onto the collar of Corey's shirt and yank it violently a few times before Rob could pull him completely back.

Rob wrapped both of his arms tightly around Jason's arms and chest to completely restrain him. He yelled, "Go take a walk Corey!"

"Pfftt!" Corey huffed as he rubbed the skin around his neck that was burning from his collar being yanked. "He takes a swing at me and I'm the one that has to leave? How is that fair?"

"Just take a walk I said! Don't come back for 10 minutes. Do you understand?" Rob yelled, still holding Jason tightly who was struggling to break free from him. "Go!"

"Fine!" Corey snarled as he grabbed a jacket and headed out of the apartment. Once he was gone, Rob released his hold on Jason, whose face was beet red with anger.

"Okay," Rob said in the calmest voice he could muster, "Let's just sit down for a minute, okay?" He gestured for Jason to have a seat on the couch, which he reluctantly did.

Rob sat down beside him and took a breath before speaking. "Look. I know you're angry. I know you expected Corey to keep what you told him to himself but...it's really not his fault. Corey couldn't keep a secret if his life depended on it," he laughed lightly, hoping a little humor would help calm the kid down a bit. It didn't.

Jason's fists were balled up tightly in his lap and his eyes were stinging with tears that he was holding back. His breathing was labored and he felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest. He felt betrayed and embarrassed. If he couldn’t trust Corey with something so personal, then who could he trust? No one apparently.

Rob continued in a soothing voice. "I know you're a lot closer to Corey than me, but...just know that if you ever want to talk to me, you can. I'm not gonna yell or get mad at you. I've been where you are - believe me. Being 16 is hard - it a confusing time. And I know for you it's harder than most kids. Living here isn't the best situation - we get that. You have to sleep on a couch - you have no bedroom of your own or any privacy. I get all that. But I want you to know that you can ALWAYS talk to me...if you want you. I can't take the place of your mom or dad and I'm not trying to, but...you can kind of think of me like an older brother if that helps any."

Jason sniffed and wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his sweatshirt. He was beginning to calm down a bit, although he was still hurt. He had always wished for an older brother, and even though Rob wasn't really his brother, he was the closest thing he had to one. "I didn’t want him to tell you. Didn't want him to tell anybody," Jason mumbled as his voice hitched.

"Yeah, I know. And he shouldn't have said anything to me. But he was just trying to help Jason, honestly. Corey doesn't have a mean bone in his body. He would NEVER hurt you."

Jason nodded. He knew Corey hadn't done it out of spite. He probably just blurted it out without even thinking - because Corey never put much thought into anything before he spoke. He began to feel his blood pressure returning to normal and his heart rate slowing down. Rob had just opened the door to any dialogue that he might want in the future and while he was much more comfortable talking to Corey about such things, Rob was the only other person he had. And Rob was certainly far more mature and grounded than Corey and could probably offer better advise. It meant a lot to Jason that Rob was offering his time to listen and help him sort things out.

"I'm just confused, that's all," Jason said in a small voice. "Everybody else at school has their lives all figured out...'cept me."

Rob patted him on the thigh. "I know it probably seems that way, but it's not true. Nobody has their lives all figured out at 16. And for some of us, it takes a little longer to figure out what path we want to take in life. You're just a kid - you're young - don't worry so much! You've got all the time in the world to figure out who you are and what you want."

Jason smiled up at Rob and nodded. He knew Rob had been through struggles more serious than his own, so his advice really meant something.

"So...you feel any better?" Rob asked. Jason nodded in agreement. "Good. Just promise me you won't take any more swings at Corey, okay? I can't have you guys going at it in here. Plus you'd probably kick his ass if you ever made contact," Rob joked, causing to Jason to laugh out loud. "You're small, but I can tell you're a scrapper," he laughed and patted Jason on the back.

The door to the apartment opened and Corey entered. He quietly walked over to the couch and sat on the other side of Jason.

"Jay, I'm really sorry. I mean it. Will you forgive me?" Corey pleaded, having calmed down himself during his 10 minute walk.

Jason nodded his head up and down. "And I'm really sorry I tried to hit you."

Corey leaned in and pulled Jason in for a big bear hug, and then tousled the hair on his head. That was Corey - he never stayed mad at anybody for long.

"Great!" Rob stated as he stood up and clapped his hands together. "You're both friends again - thank God." He reached his hand into his jeans pocket and pulled something out. "Here Jay, catch."

Jason caught the item that was thrown with both hands and looked at it - they were a set of car keys. He looked back up at Rob somewhat confused.

"You're 16 - you need to start learning how to drive," Rob stated.

Jason's mouth dropped open. "You mean it? You're gonna teach me to drive your car?" he asked excitedly.

"Sure. Just take it slow and listen to me. Corey, you can sit in the back seat."

"Cool!" Corey chirped. "Can we go for pizza after?"

Rob mulled it over. He had a little extra money from all his plowing overtime and a pizza might be a good way to end the day and make sure things were completely smoothed out. "Ok. I guess we could do that."

The three headed out the door with Jason leading the way, keys in hand, descending two steps at a time and not able to get to Rob's car quick enough.

************************************************************************

A few hours later the three arrived home, with Corey and Jason trying to stifle small fits of giggles and laughter as the all entered the apartment.

"All right guys, enough! Stop it already!" Rob stated wearily at the silliness of the two that had gone on for the last 10 minutes.

Corey spoke in a teasing, high-pitched voice, doing his best impression of a female. "Oh Rob - you have such dreamy eyes! You're so strong and muscular!" He batted his eyelashes at Rob, who simply rolled his eyes.

Jason laughed out loud at the impression which was dead-on. Rob had spent the better part of the evening rejecting the advances of the attractive waitress at the restaurant where they had stopped for dinner. And although Jason was rather inexperienced in the ways of women, even he could tell the waitress was flirting with Rob the entire time...making comments about his biceps, wondering how much weight he could bench press, asking him what he did for work, and prodding to see if he had a girlfriend.

"Do women hit on Rob like that all the time?" Jason asked, his sides hurting from laughing so much.

"Oh God, yeah! Happens all the time," Corey laughed. "He attracts a lot of cougars for some reason. Did I ever tell you about the time..."

Rob sighed and headed over to the couch, not particularly caring to hear Corey retell the story again.

"...me and Rob were at an outdoor concert last summer and he went home with three different women's phone numbers!" Corey laughed out loud. "He didn't want them, but these woman were persistent! No sooner had he dodged the first one and got her off his trail then another one was all over him," he laughed at the recollection. "Poor Rob! All these women falling all over him and they had no idea he wasn't interested," Corey snorted with laughter.

Jason smiled and asked, "But don't you get jealous when that happens?"

Corey walked over to sit on the couch beside Rob. "Hell, no! I just sit back and laugh. Cuz I know they don't have what Rob wants. But I have what Rob wants...don't I Robbie?" he asked teasingly as he slid on top of Rob's lap and straddled him, placing kisses up and down Rob's neck as his fingers slipped under his T-shirt to touch his chest. He then began to gently grind his pelvis against Rob's. And while Rob glanced over at Jason uncomfortably, he clearly appreciated Corey's affection.

Realizing that three had suddenly become a crowd in the small studio, Jason stated, "Um...I guess I should take a 10 minute walk now, huh?"

Corey reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. "Here, take my phone. We might need more than 10 minutes. Rob can text you when we're done, okay?"

Jason took the phone and made his way to the door. "Can I play some games on your phone, Cor?" he called back over his shoulder.

"Sure," Corey replied quickly, already making fast work of Rob's shirt by pulling it over his head and tossing it on the floor, and Rob returning the favor.

Jason closed the apartment door quickly before things heated up anymore, headed down the three flights of stairs and walked outside to sit on the front stoop. It was cold, but he wouldn't be out there for too long...hopefully. He sat down and looked at Corey's phone. Jason had never had a cell phone of his own, but Corey was always good about letting him use his. Jason decided to open up one of the game apps and play for a bit. Growing tired of that after a while, he began to swipe through the different apps and he came across the photo gallery. He tapped on it and decided he would look at some photos to pass the time instead.

Jason laughed to himself at he scrolled through the different selfies Corey had of himself. There were pictures from work and some people Jason presumed to be his co-workers. As he swiped to the next photo, his eyes opened wide and his breath hitched. It had never dawned on him that Corey might have an intimate pic of himself and Rob on his phone. And while the photo only showed two males from the chest down engaging in a particular sexual act, it was pretty obvious that it was Corey and Rob. Jason had never seen either one of them completely naked, but he had seen them down to their underwear on different occasions and it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the photo was indeed them, with Corey clearly being the one on the receiving end.

Feeling like he had violated their privacy, he backed out of the app as quickly as he could and looked around nervously to make sure nobody else was around who might have seen the photo. He felt his face flush and his insides turn warm. Even though it was barely 30 degrees out, Jason found that he had to unzip his jacket to cool off from the sudden sensation of warmth that flowed through him. The image had been burned into his head. He knew how men had sex with each other, but that photo brought it so real to life for him. Strange and new feelings inside him began to stir as he thought about what it would be like to be that intimate with somebody and have that done to him.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted with a vibration from the phone. He looked down to see that it was a text from Rob that read: "You can come back now."

Jason took a deep breath to pull himself together. He ran up the steps to the apartment and entered, trying his best to keep a poker face. Unfortunately Corey was able to read him like a book. "What's up, Jay? You look like you saw a ghost?"

"Um...no...not exactly," he mumbled as he handed the phone back to Corey. He could hear the water running in the bathroom and knew Rob must be in the shower.

Corey looked at the phone, then looked at Jason's face, put 2 and 2 together and smirked. "Ahhhh....you stumbled onto my photos, didn't ya?"

Jason shrugged. "Not on purpose. I wasn't thinking...and I only saw one. Just, please don't tell Rob okay? I mean it this time!"

Corey laughed sheepishly. "I promise. I won't. And, I guess we're kind of even now. I embarrassed you, and you kind of embarrassed me a little bit."

Jason nodded. They were even. But it was going to be very difficult to get that image out of his head tonight as he tried to sleep.


	11. A Terrible Idea

Rob sat at his boss' desk and ordered the list of supplies into the computer that needed to be delivered by next week. Everybody had left for the day hours ago, but with the office secretary out on maternity leave, now was a perfect time for him to show the owner of the company that he could be relied upon to pick up any slack. Office work wasn't generally his thing, but the current foreman was approaching retirement, and while there were other men who had been there longer and would probably get the promotion over him, Rob very much wanted to at least rise to the assistant foreman position. The extra money that came along with it would help, and he knew dam well he worked harder than any of the other men on his crew.

Rob sat back in the chair and stretched his arms high above his head to relieve some muscle tension. He realized any sort of promotion was a long-shot. Hell, he didn't even have a college degree, much less a high school diploma. So it wasn't like he could just pick up and go somewhere else and make more money without a GED at the very least.

These were the times that Rob deeply regretted dropping out of school. Construction work was fine for the time being as he was young and strong, but he really didn't see himself doing it long-term into his 40's and 50's. Physical labor takes a toll on the body after so many years. But at the time he dropped out of school, he saw no other realistic options. He was out on the streets every night trying to survive, oftentimes until 2:00 or 3:00 a.m. It was next to impossible to get up the following morning and arrive to school on time, and when he did he would nod off in class. Plus his grades had been in toilet anyway. So, it seemed the logical thing to do at the time was to get some sort of under-the-table, part-time job during the day so that he could make some money and eventually get out of the situation he was in.

Rob glanced at some of the miscellaneous items on the desk, his eyes falling upon a family photo of his boss with his wife and two kids. His boss had been able to achieve his dreams of starting up his own company, getting married and having kids. Rob's dream was slightly different. He could do without the wife and kids, but what he really wanted was to buy a small piece of land and build his own home - exactly the way he wanted it. Aside from his car, which was on borrowed time, Rob really had nothing to his name. But a house that he built, on land that he owned...that was something he could really be proud of.

At one time it seemed like an unobtainable goal, but then Corey come along and moved in and it began to seem much more within his reach if he put his mind to it. Corey provided the motivation he needed. Rob felt partially responsible for the falling out Corey had had with his dad, as irrational as he knew that was, but if it wasn't for their relationship Corey would still be living at home in a beautiful house, with no financial worries, and going to college that would have been paid for by his parents. Instead, Corey was living in a dump for the simple reason that he loved Rob and refused to cut ties with him. Therefore, Rob felt he owed it to Corey to give him a better life and he was determined to make that happen.

But then the arrival of Jason slowed things down a bit. Even though the kid didn't eat much, he still had to feed and clothe him. The amount of money Rob was able to put in the bank each month for a down payment on a piece of land had gotten significantly smaller.

Rob placed his elbows on the desk and rubbed his eyes that were becoming weary from staring at the computer screen. "I wonder what those two knuckleheads are doing at home," he thought to himself.

Suddenly the front door to the office flew open with a bang, startling Rob from his thoughts. "We're here!" Corey shouted. "And we brought you dinner!"

Corey walked over to the desk and set down a plastic container. He then reached into a plastic bag and pulled out a fork, a napkin, and something that was wrapped up in aluminum foil. "Voila! Bon appetite!" he stated as he took the plastic cover off with much fanfare as a great chef might do, revealing some meatloaf, potatoes and green beans.

Rob smiled at the thoughtful gesture. "You didn't have to do this - I'd have been home in a half-hour."

"Aw, it's nothing," Corey stated. "I hate that you eat dinner so late and all alone, so we decided to bring it to you. Plus I figured you probably missed us," he chuckled.

Rob looked at the package wrapped in tin foil. "What this?" he asked.

Corey nodded his head in the direction of Jason, who was waiting rather impatiently for Rob to open it up.

"That's from me!" Jason stated happily. "Open it!"

Rob opened the package which revealed something that resembled food, cookies if he was hard-pressed to guess, although they appeared to have been terribly overcooked and burned.

"I baked them myself!" Jason stated with a smile.

"With what? A blowtorch?" Rob laughed sarcastically.

The large smile on Jason's face slowly melted away from his face. Rob knew as soon as the words had left his lips that he probably shouldn't have said it. The dam kid was so ultra-sensitive. You could hurl an insult at Corey and he would laugh it off, but the kid took everything to heart.

"Hey! I'm just kidding," Rob stated. "I like my cookies extra-crispy...uh, they are cookies, right?" He broke off a piece and popped it in his mouth for good measure. His love of rock hard cookies was a lie of course, but it brought the smile back to Jason's face.

As Rob returned to his computer work and ate his dinner in between keyboard entries, Corey and Jason wandered around the office, touching things and picking up items to inspect. They located a glass jar full of candies on the secretary's desk and nearly emptied it before Rob looked over and stopped them.

"Guys! Come on, knock it off. Put some of those back!" Rob ordered, silently wishing they had just stayed home so he could finish his work in peace. Having one of them around while he worked was tolerable, but the two of them together was sometimes a bit much. Rob preferred peace and quiet, which was in stark contrast to Jason and Corey's endless chatter and laughter.

"Done!" Rob stated as he pushed himself back from the desk. The three headed out the door and Rob locked the building up. As they walked to the two cars parked in the lot, Jason asked "Um...who should I ride home with?"

"Doesn't matter," Corey replied. "Who do you wanna ride with?

Jason looked back and forth between the two. Riding with Corey was much more fun. They enjoyed the same music and Corey always had a funny story to tell. But he didn't want Rob to think he didn't like him as much so he decided to ride with him, even though he knew the ride home would consist of news talk radio and probably zero conversation.

Once they had arrived home for the evening Rob retreated to the couch and scanned the channels for a football game. Not particularly interested in watching a game, Jason and Corey sat on the bed and just hung out and talked.

After having watched the game for a while, Rob could hear some sort of kerfuffle going on behind him. He turned around to see the other two involved in some form of horseplay, with Corey trying to hold Jason down and the latter trying to break free. Both were laughing, so Rob turned his attention back to the game, not really understanding why they both acted so juvenile at times.

Just as he was getting his head back into the game, Rob heard a very loud thud. He quickly turned around and saw that only Jason remained on the bed with a look of surprise on his face.

"Oh, you little shit!" Corey laughed as he picked himself up off the floor and dove back onto the bed to retaliate at whatever Jason had done to have knocked him off the bed. Jason let out a loud yelp and laughed as Corey grabbed his wrists and pinned him down.

"Guys! Quiet down! Knock off the roughhousing," Rob barked, but to no avail. The two carried on with their wrestle mania session, with Corey first having the upper hand, then Jason turning the tables on him by flipping him, only to have Corey regain his position moments later.

Beginning to tire out, Jason bucked his hips in an attempt to push Corey off of him. Corey used his weight to keep Jason down. Rob watched from his position on the couch. He knew there was nothing outright sexual going on, but it was impossible not to notice their close body contact and their hips and pelvises rubbing against each other's.

"Say you give up!" Corey laughed, his face and lips very close to Jason's.

Jason grunted a few times as he unsuccessfully tried to push him off one last time, but to no avail. "Fine! I give up," he stated out of breath, hot and sweaty. "I need a shower," he stated.

"Hope it's a cold one," Rob mumbled under his breath as Jason crossed the apartment floor and entered the bathroom. "You can't do that stuff, Corey," he said once the bathroom door had been closed.

"Awww - we're just foolin' around having fun, Rob. It's gets boring in here."

"I know you're just messing around, but you shouldn't be on top of him like that. It's not right - especially where he likes you," Rob stated.

Corey raised an eyebrow, not getting at what Rob was implying. He and Jason were friends, of course, but nothing more.

Rob continued on. "I see the way he looks at you and...it's just better if you don't do that stuff anymore, that's all." Rob re-positioned his body to lay down on the couch and Corey took the opportunity to lie down beside him on it. It was a tight squeeze, but he made it work.

"Do you really think he likes me?" Corey asked as he wrapped an arm around Rob, rather surprised at the thought.

"Yeah. I mean, it's probably just a crush or something, but you just need to be careful."

"I don't know," Corey pondered. "I almost feel like he's a little into you. He rode home with you tonight, not me. "

Rob laughed so loud it ended in a small snort. "You're fucking crazy if you think that! If anything, that kid seems a little uncomfortable around me. Or at the very least...cautious."

"I don't know. He watches you a lot when you're working out."

Rob rolled his eyes and shook his head. He wasn't buying any of that for a second.

Corey flung one leg over Rob's and placed his head on his chest. It was always nice when they had a few minutes alone with each other to talk. He mulled over what Rob had said to him for a moment before speaking.

"Hey Rob? Do you remember when we first started dating and you asked me if I had any kinks?"

Rob nodded, hoping this wasn't going where he thought it was. "Yeah, I remember. You told me you wanted to have a threesome someday."

Corey grinned up at him.

"Not happening, Cor."

"Why not?" Corey laughed lightly. "When we started dating you told me that you liked being a top and having all the control and that was fine with me. I really wasn't into the whole handcuff thing at the beginning, but I went along with it because I knew that's what turned you on."

That was true and Rob couldn't argue with that. Corey had been very agreeable from day one as to anything Rob desired in bed.

"And now that I've gotten used to it, I actually kind of like it. But the only reason I did it in the first place was because you asked me to," Corey concluded.

"No!" Rob barked. "Are you crazy?"

"Why not? Just hear me out, okay? The way I see it, he's already in the way every night when we're trying to be all secret about having sex. Plus, I actually think he's a little into you...you think he's into me...so why not just...incorporate him into it?"

"Why not?! Oh, wow, where do I begin, Corey?" Rob stated angrily. "Let's see...first of all, a pair of handcuffs has no feelings. If you toss them in a corner after a few times it's feelings don't get hurt. Jason is a living, breathing human being with feelings. So you can't compare your agreeing to my kinks with yours. Second, he's not even sure which way he leans right now. He hasn't even had sex with ONE person yet, let alone two, so why do that to him and confuse him even more? And if all of that wasn't enough to convince you what a horrible, TERRIBLE idea that is, he's just a kid. He's 16 - and I'm 21. There's that whole legal issue...you know, the one where I could go to jail? Oh, and did you even think about what would happen after you weren't interested in it anymore? You just tell him he's out of our bed and banish him back to the couch? Like nothing ever happened? It's a stupid idea Corey and you haven't thought it through at all!"

Corey took in everything that Rob had just thrown at him and realized that perhaps he hadn't considered everything as well as he could have. Corey was spontaneous and generally acted on impulse, whereas Rob was the one who would think things through and foresee problems before they ever happened.

"Yeah, I guess I didn't really think about what would happen after we had given it a try. You're right - it's a stupid idea. I'm sorry for even mentioning it," Corey stated softly while placing his hand on Rob's chest and gently stroking it.

Rob sighed to himself, happy that Corey had decided to forego the crazy idea. There wasn't anything in the world he wouldn't do to make Corey happy, but this would be wrong on multiple levels. He placed his hand on Corey's head and ran his fingers through his sandy curls. "Look, Cor. We'll make some sort of compromise. I promise you that someday I'll be willing to do a threesome with you if that's something you really want. But this is NOT the right time. And Jason is NOT the right person. Okay?"

Corey nodded. That was fair. While it seemed like a fun idea when it first popped into his head, he now realized it was probably for the best that they didn't go down that road.

From inside the bathroom, Jason removed his ear from the door and finally turned on the shower. A small smile spread across his face as he did so. He had noticed his feelings for Corey becoming stronger and even though nothing was going to happen after the conversation he just heard, he was more than a little flattered.


	12. Teen Angst

Timeframe: ~A Few Months Later~

The three young men stood in the kitchenette area of the studio and emptied the plastic grocery bags. As Jason set each item on the table, Corey would then place it in its rightful spot in either the refrigerator or cupboard.

Jason was still fuming from the night before. He had decided to hang out with a few friends after school and Rob had ended up giving him what felt like an inquisition: _"What are your friend's names? Where do they live? Will their parents be home? Where will you be going?"_ That was bad enough, but when Rob informed him that he had to be home by 10:00 p.m., Jason couldn't contain his frustration. When living at home with his mother he was able to come and go as he pleased and being given a curfew made him feel like a child who couldn't be trusted. Corey didn't have a curfew and was only two years older, so it all seemed very unfair to him. After a lot of back and forth, Jason had reluctantly agreed to the curfew as he really had no choice, but he was still upset over it and things had been a bit tense and awkward between himself and Rob that day.

As Jason pulled the next item out of the grocery bag, he dropped it quickly on the table and recoiled from it. "Yuck! What the hell is that? They look like poisonous toadstools!" Clearly Rob had tossed whatever vegetable that was into the cart when he wasn't paying attention.

Corey laughed, "They're portobello mushrooms. You stuff them and bake them and they're actually really good."

Jason looked with disgust at the package on the table. "What do you stuff them with?"

"Garlic, cheese, spinach..."

"Spinach?!" Jason made a loud gagging sound and pretended to throw-up to illustrate his disdain.

Inwardly, Rob tried counting to 10. His patience had been growing thin lately. It had been over two months and he still had no word on the promotion he was hoping for at work, and the kid seemed to be getting more than a little mouthy lately. Perhaps it was just a sign that he had gotten more comfortable with residing with Corey and Rob, but lately there had been recent mood changes and even outright tantrums. Rob wasn't exactly sure what was happening with him, but this emotional roller coaster the kid seemed to be on was wearing thin.

"Well, I'm not eating it!" Jason huffed and crossed his arms across his chest.

With that being the last straw, Rob couldn't hold his tongue any longer and fired back. "So what exactly was your mom putting on the table every night for you, huh Jay? Spiral hams? Roast turkey? Or was it closer to a cold can of Spaghettios...and that was IF you were lucky."

Jason just blinked and stood completely still. He realized he had hit a nerve and wasn't quite sure how to back-peddle at this point.

"If you don't like the way I run this apartment Jay, there's the door. Go back to your mom. I mean, it's not like she's beating my door down trying to get you to come home though, is it?"

Jason's breath hitched and he felt a sting as if his face had been slapped.

"Oh Rob...don't," Corey said in a soft whisper as he shook his head, knowing that last remark was a low blow.

Still fired up and oblivious to the emotional pain he had just inflicted upon Jason, Rob carried on as he began to pace angrily back and forth, waving his arms about. "I work my fucking ass off! I do everything I can to keep a roof over your head...make sure you have everything you need! And all I've been getting lately is grief!"

Rob was visibly fired up and emotionally charged. As he ranted and paced, he spun around on his heel quickly to turn and face Jason, his arms still high in the air. As he did so, Jason instinctively cowered, quickly lowering his head and raising his own arms to cover his head and protect his face.

Rob immediately stopped, stunned upon seeing the scared posture that Jason had taken on. He lowered his arms slowly to his side. It was very clear Jason had been expecting to get hit. Rob looked at Corey, who stood wide-eyed himself, not sure how everything had escalated so quickly.

Rob took a deep breath to calm himself down and then stepped forward and closer to Jason. He took hold of Jason's wrists and gently lowered his arms from his face. "Hey, it's okay. I wasn't gonna hit you. I would NEVER hit you. I've just been really stressed lately and...and you've kind of been acting like a little prick and I guess I just kind of lost it and blew up."

Jason kept his eyes lowered to the floor. Rob took his right hand and touched Jason's chin to indicate he wanted him to look at him. "I'm sorry, Jay. I shouldn't have said any of that."

Jason choked back a sob and then threw his arms around Rob to hug him, burying his face in his chest as he did so. 'I'm sorry! I appreciate everything you've done for me - I swear. I'm just pissed off cuz Corey doesn't have a curfew and I do. I'm not a child! You treat me different and that's not fair!" he mumbled into Rob's sweatshirt. "And I just...I don't...I don't wanna eat toadstools," he sobbed in a very child-like manner, after just professing that he was not.

"They're NOT...oh never mind," Rob sighed, fully drained and exasperated by the last 24 hours. He held Jason tightly and ran his hand up and down his back in an attempt to calm him. Corey noted how differently this hug played out compared to the one Jason had first given him in the Walmart parking lot many months ago. Rob had become far more affectionate and comfortable with him.

"Look," Rob said softly. "I want you home at a certain time so that I know you're safe. And it's only because I care - not because I'm trying to be an asshole. Corey may not have a curfew, but he still checks in with me and texts me to let me know where he is." Rob heard a large snuffle coming from Jason, still pressed up against his chest. "Here's the deal," Rob continued on calmly. "You have to at least try the mushrooms. If you really don't like it, I won't force you to eat it. Fair enough?"

Jason nodded and produced another large, very wet-sounding snuffle. Rob was quite sure he would be needing to change his sweatshirt when the embrace ended.

"And I'll have a grilled cheese on stand-by in case you don't like it," Corey offered, always the peacemaker.

With the drama of the day over and eventually dinner as well - Jason having opted for the grilled cheese in lieu of the mushrooms, Rob pulled Corey aside in the kitchen as the last of the dishes were being washed and put away. "Hey, I really need to get out of this apartment tonight. Gotta clear my head. Do you want to go catch a movie?" he asked.

"Really? Yeah! It's been forever since we've gone out...alone," Corey answered as he glanced over at Jason who was now calm and sitting in front of the TV.

Rob nodded. "Yeah. I just...I really just want to get out of this apartment and do something with just you, ya know? I know I've been snapping at both of you lately and I think part of it is because I hardly have any alone time with you. This whole 'teen-angst' thing with him is killing me," he smiled wearily, his voice low so Jason didn't overhear.

Corey smiled up at him and kissed him on the lips. "It'll pass. It's probably just his hormones raging, that's all," he laughed as he pulled out his phone. "I'll check the movie times for tonight."

Jason perked up upon hearing that. "We going to the movies?!"

"Uh, no. Just me and Corey. I'm sorry," Rob stated. "We just kind of want some alone time. You understand, don't you?"

Jason's face reflected a little disappointment, but he understood. "Sure, that's okay. I didn't want to go anyway."

Rob paused for a moment, walked over the nightstand beside the bed and removed something from the top drawer. He then walked to the living room area and sat down beside Jason. "So, I have something for you. I've been thinking that you've needed this for a while...for safety's sake if nothing else, so...here."

Jason took the item that was handed to him and his face lit up with surprise. "A cell phone? Really?! No way!" he shouted happily.

"It's not new or anything. It's actually pretty old. It's my old phone that I had before I upgraded to the one I have now. But it still works. I just got it reactivated and added it onto my plan for you. This way if you ever need to get a hold of us, you can."

Jason went through the screen to check out the phone. It was clearly an older model, but he didn't care. It made phone calls and he could text. He had never had a phone in his life. Rob showed him the Contacts tab where he had already entered his and Corey's cell phone numbers, as well as both of their work numbers in case of emergency.

"And now that I can reach you and know where you are, maybe we can see about making your curfew a tiny bit later - but only on weekends," Rob explained.

Jason's smile filled his entire face. "Thanks!"

"So, this is yours now. But just know I can look at it whenever I want. Just to make sure you're not up to stupid shit."

"Pfft!" Corey laughed. "Is that some parenting tip you heard on Dr. Phil?"

"Noooooo!" Rob sneered with a grin. "It's actually a suggestion from his school's guidance department newsletter that came home last week."

"You read those things?" Jason asked. "You don't have to. They're for parents."

"They're addressed to parents and/OR guardians. So I read them." Rob stated dryly.

Jason smiled upon hearing that. He had no idea that Rob took the time to read any of the papers or progress reports that came from school. His mother certainly never did, so he just assumed that Rob didn't either.

"7:45. The movie starts at 7:45" Corey stated looking at his phone. "So we should probably leave now."

Rob rose from the couch and grabbed his jacket. "We should be home around 11:00. If you need us, just text, okay?" Jason nodded and turned his attention back to his "new" phone to familiarize himself with it.

Rob and Corey headed down the stairs, into the parking lot and hopped into Rob's car. As they buckled their seatbelts, Corey felt his phone vibrate. He looked at it and turned to Rob with a grin. "It's Jason. He wants to know if we're in the car yet."

Rob sighed, shook his head and headed to the movie theater. Once their tickets were purchased and they had settled into their seats, Rob checked his phone before the movie started. There were three new texts that had come in....all from Jason. _"Are you guys at the movies yet?" "What movie are you seeing?" "What time you gonna be home?"_

Rob held his phone up for Corey to see. Corey in turn held his up to reveal almost the same texts verbatim that had been sent to him. "I think we've created a monster," he laughed as they both set their phones to silent so they could enjoy the movie in peace. Rob placed his arm around Corey. It felt good to have some alone-time with him. The last time they had gone to the movies Jason came with them and had managed to obtain the seat in the middle, which had meant no snuggling for Rob and Corey at all that particular night.

About two hours later the movie ended and Rob checked his phone to see that five more texts had come in, all from Jason of course. He typed out a quick reply: "We're leaving now. Can you stop with all the texts please?"

"I think he's stalking us," Corey laughed as they prepared to leave the theater.

After a short drive home, the two entered the apartment to find Jason sound asleep on the couch, his cell phone still clutched tightly in his hand. He was wrapped up in his blanket with the throw pillows of the couch surrounding him on all sides. "Oh, how cute. He made himself a little nest," Corey laughed.

Rob delicately pulled the phone out of his hand so as not to wake him and placed it on the coffee table. On second thought, he decided to see who else Jason had been harassing that evening with a barrage of texts. Rob recognized the names of a few of his friends from school that he had texted. There were also multiple texts sent to his mom informing her that he now had a phone and she could call or text him whenever she wanted. Not one of the messages to his mother had been answered.

Rob placed the phone down on the table. 'Maybe she'll call him tomorrow,' he thought silently to himself, though knowing most likely she wouldn't. He looked down at the sleeping teen who had exasperated him so much lately. Earlier today he had wanted to strangle him, and yet tonight, sound asleep, he looked like a absolute angel with his golden blond hair falling across his face.

Corey came up from behind and threaded his arms around his waist, kissing the back of his neck as he did so. "Come on Rob...come to bed!"


	13. The Longest Four Minutes

_CLANG, CLANG, CLANG_

Jason looked up from his algebra homework to the sound of Rob's weights. Rob had been exercising for about a half hour and every now and then Jason would raise his eyes from the homework in front of him to watch Rob in the midst of his workout. He wasn't sure how much weight Rob was bench-pressing, but if the loud clanging each time he brought the weights down was any indication, it was probably a lot. And with his shirt off, Jason could see the chiseled six-pack on his abdomen and the toned muscles of his arms and back as he lifted.

Just then, Corey exited the bathroom and jokingly threw a soaking wet towel over Jason's head. As much as Jason liked Corey, he was constantly doing things to annoy him lately. The last few days in particular they had been at each other's throats. They had been stuck in the house during much of the winter and even though spring was approaching, they were each suffering from a bad case of cabin fever.

Jason snatched the wet towel from over his head and whipped it back in Corey's face. A small scuffle ensued between the two.

"Hey, hey?!" Rob shouted as he momentarily paused from his workout, alerted by the pushing and bickering. "Knock it off! Go to separate corners of the apartment if you can't get along."

Corey took one more quit swat at Jason with the towel before tossing it into the laundry basket and then plopped himself on the couch and started to look at his phone.

Jason continued to watch as Rob returned to his workout. His eyes went back and forth from the weights to Rob's muscles. He wasn't sure what the definition of a perfect body was, but he surmised that Rob was pretty dam close. "Can I do some?" he finally asked.

Rob turned around and laughed out loud. "You? You're a skinny little pipsqueak - you couldn't handle this."

Rejected, Jason looked down and back to his algebra book.

Feeling badly at brushing him off, Rob stood up from the weight bench. "All right, come on over."

"Really?" Jason said brightly. Rob motioned for him to sit down and he began to show him some simple moves with the very lightest of weights. After performing a few reps and seeing that the kid was taking it seriously, he got into teaching mode.

"It's not just about how much weight you can lift," Rob instructed. "You gotta link your mind to your muscle. Take your shirt off."

"Huh?"

"If you can SEE your muscle contracting and working, then your mind is able to connect to the two and you get a better workout," Rob explained. "It's scientifically proven."

Not about to question science, Jason removed his shirt when they heard a snicker coming from the couch. Corey was leaning over it and watching their workout. "You're so skinny! You can see all your ribs!" he laughed.

"Shut up!" Jason hollered back. "And you're no John Cena yourself, you know!"

Frustrated, Rob interjected. "Guys, knock it off! I'm sick of this shit every friggin' day. What the hells gotten into you? You two bicker so much anybody would think the two of YOU are in a relationship."

Corey blinked a few times. He HAD been teasing Jason a lot lately. Most of it was just to get a rise out of him and get his attention. But he hadn't realized that Rob had noticed it as well.

Jason blushed at Rob's statement and simply resumed his reps of 10 pound weights. Rob stood over him to spot and periodically touched his arm or stomach, showing Jason where he should be feeling the muscle contract. It felt strange to have somebody touching his bare skin in that way. He had never had his chest or stomach touched that way by anybody before and it made him a little self-conscious. Rob was ripped and toned and Jason was built more like a twig.

After a 20 minute workout that included arms, abs and legs, Rob showed him how to stretch and cool down. "You did really good for your first time! You surprised me," he stated.

Jason beamed from ear to ear at the compliment. He stood up from the weight bench and went to put his T-shirt back on. After doing so, he immediately put a hand on his lower right-hand side and rubbed it. He had been having some discomfort there for the last day or two and his decision to workout with Rob probably didn't help things.

"Something hurt?" Rob asked.

"Yeah, a little."

"It's nothing. Probably just your muscles letting you know that you worked them. No pain, no gain!"

Corey looked up from his phone. "Oh, you all done He-Man? It's your turn to put the laundry in," and pointed to the laundry basket.

Jason scowled and picked up the laundry basket and headed down to the basement where the washing machines were. About 10 minutes had passed before Rob began to wonder if everything was okay. It seemed to be taking an awfully long time just to throw a load of laundry in. He was just about to head downstairs to see what was taking so long when Jason re-entered the apartment.

"Hey! I was just about to send a search party out for you..." Rob began and then stopped. Jason's face looked ashen and there was clearly something wrong. Before Rob could even ask if he was okay, Jason took one step forward and then collapsed, his head forcefully hitting one of Rob's 100-pound dumbbells that was lying on the floor.

The sound of Jason's head hitting the metal weight was indescribable and reverberated throughout the apartment, causing the other two to literally freeze for a moment. Within mere seconds, a small pool of blood began to form around Jason's head that slowly spread across the hardwood floor.

"Jesus!" Rob cried out as he ran over to where Jason lay on the floor. "Corey! Call 911!"

As Corey called for an ambulance, Rob knelt beside Jason who was unconscious, not sure if he should touch him, move him, or simply let him be until help came. The blood puddle continued to get larger and was now forming around the front of Rob's sneaker as he knelt beside him. He quickly grabbed a towel that was hanging over his workout bench and held it up to the side of Jason's head where he bleeding from, trying to provide some pressure. It would be four minutes before Rob heard the sound of the ambulance approaching - and it was the longest four minutes of his life.


	14. Don't Leave Me

Rob screeched into the hospital parking lot directly behind the ambulance and parked his car. He raced through the main door of the emergency department and met back up with Corey, who had ridden along in the ambulance with Jason. The EMT's had already whisked Jason into the back to be evaluated and the two young men were left standing alone in the lobby area waiting for instructions.

Rob stood with his hands on his head, trying to wrap his brain around what had just transpired. He felt panicked and sick to his stomach. "I don't understand what happened! He was fine and then....what did the EMT's say in the ambulance?" he asked anxiously.

"Not a lot," Corey replied, just as nervous. "They were busy bandaging up his head and stuff. They stuck an IV in him, but then he woke up and starting throwing up everywhere." That bit of information distressed Rob as he knew that was often a sign of a concussion.

A receptionist then called them over to the check-in desk. Rob sat down and gave all the information he had on Jason. There were a few things he couldn’t answer, like if Jason had any allergies to medication, prior hospitalizations, etc., but he was able to answer most of her questions. It surprised him how much he knew about Jason after only having known him for six months.

"Can we see him now?" Rob asked impatiently after the paperwork was completed.

They were then escorted back to the room that Jason was being held in. He was laying on a gurney, his head having been bandaged quickly during the ambulance ride, and he had an IV in his arm. The nurse who was tending to him turned around as they entered the room.

"Oh! See, sweetheart? Here they are," she said in a reassuring voice to Jason while patting his hand. She then smiled and winked her eye at Rob and Corey. "He was in a near-panic that you two were going to leave him here all alone," she stated humorously.

"Hey buddy - you okay?" Corey asked with concern as they approached the bed. "You scared the shit out of us!"

"Ow! Owww! Owww!" Jason cried and rolled around on the bed, holding onto his stomach. "It hurts."

"I don't understand," Rob stated nervously to the nurse. "He passed out and hit his head - so what's wrong with his stomach?"

"I'll have the doctor come in to talk to you," the nurse offered and left the room.

Rob and Corey just sat and stared down at Jason, feeling completely helpless and unable to console him. They weren't sure what was wrong and all Jason could utter were moans and groans of pain. The right side of his face was stained with blood that had only been hastily wiped away in the ambulance, and they could see bruising and swelling that had already started to form around his right eye and cheek where it had made contact with the dumbbell. Blood was already beginning to seep through the bandages, so Rob knew he was most definitely in need of some stitches - but beyond that, they were clueless as to what was wrong.

The doctor then poked his head in and introduced himself to Rob and Corey. He then proceeded to bring them up to speed on their findings so far concerning Jason.

"At first glance, we thought we were simply dealing with a head injury," the doctor explained, "but after we ran some further tests we discovered that Jason's appendix is extremely inflamed. His blood pressure is very low, which is probably what caused him to lose consciousness in the first place. He's bleeding quite a bit from his head, so that's going to require a few stitches, and we'll perform a CT scan as well just to be safe. He appears to have a mild concussion. But the more pressing matter right now is removing his appendix. If we don't remove it right away it's likely going to burst on its own, and we certainly don't want that to happen."

Rob listened intently and tried to take in everything that the doctor explained. He understood the seriousness of the situation and that time was an issue.

"Are either of his parents present?" the doctor asked. "We're going to need a parental signature for insurance reasons since he's under age."

"No, his mother's not here. But I can call her and have her come down," Rob stated quickly as he fumbled to find his phone in his pocket.

"I want my mom!" Jason cried out upon hearing his mother being referenced, his knees pulled up to his chest, clearly in excruciating pain.

"Yeah, Jay. I'm gonna call her right now. Just hold on, okay?" Rob turned his attention back to the doctor. "Can't you give him anything for the pain?" It broke his heart seeing the kid in that much agony.

"He's getting a very strong pain medication through his IV drip right now," the doctor explained. "Unfortunately, it can only do so much. But once his appendix comes out he'll feel much, much better."

Rob thanked him and quickly stepped out into the hall to put a call in to Jason's mother. He half-expected it to go to voicemail, but to his surprise she answered. He had only spoken to her one other time on the phone very early on when Jason had first arrived.

"Lisa? This is Rob. Jason's in the emergency room and they're about to do surgery - it's his appendix. But they need you to sign for him. You have to get down here right now."

Rob heard the reluctance in her voice, which surprised him given the seriousness of the situation, but after re-explaining what was going on and repeating the doctor's concern that his appendix was likely to burst if not taken out immediately, she eventually agreed to come to the hospital.

Rob re-entered Jason's room and leaned over the bed. "I just talked to your mom. She's on her way, okay? So just hang tight," he smiled and touched his blood-stained cheek. "I'm going to go down to the lobby now to wait for her."

"Bring her here to see me, okay?" Jason asked through his pain. "Promise?"

"You bet," Rob promised.

Leaving Corey to stay with Jason, Rob headed down to the lobby. He stood there for several minutes watching people enter and exit the main doors. He had never met Jason's mother before and wasn't even sure if he'd recognize her. But then a frail, tired looking woman entered. She was blond and certainly resembled Jason in some aspects, but she looked like she hadn't slept in a week and had lived a very hard life.

Rob approached the woman. "Are you Jason's mother? Lisa?"

"Yes," she replied a bit nervously. Her eyes darted to the left and right as she scanned the lobby area. She appeared fidgety and uncomfortable. Rob had seen enough drug addicts in his life to know she was very close to needing another fix of whatever poison she was addicted to, so he tried to move things along as quickly as he could. He took her by the elbow and escorted her to the check-in desk where she quickly signed her name to a few forms and showed her ID to the receptionist. As she stepped away from the desk, Rob stated "I'll show you where he is...he's been asking for you."

"Oh no," Lisa stated in a shaky voice. "I can't stay." She looked around the lobby in a rather paranoid state.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Rob replied with shock and disgust. "They’re about to put him under and cut him open! He's your son and you haven't seen him in months! What the hell is wrong with you?!" His voice was raised and angry and several people in the lobby began to look in their direction.

"Look," she began uncomfortably, "I know you don't understand, but I'm on probation. If I catch another charge for a dirty UA I'll go back to jail." Rob noticed that she kept looking over at a security guard standing near the elevators.

"That's not a cop, you know. He's just hospital security. I'll walk up with you - you only have to stay a minute - just so he sees you, and then you can leave if you want."

Lisa shook her head no and turned quickly as she headed toward the exit. Rob took two large lunges and put a firm hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"What the hell is the matter with you?! What kind of a mother are you anyway? You're kid is down the hall crying for you and you're too fucking worried that somebody will see you're coming down off of a trip? What's more important to you?!"

"You just don't understand and I don't expect you to," she stated in a wavering, hitched voice. "Just...just tell him I love him." And with that she raced out the door before Rob could stop her again. He watched her for a moment, barely believing his own eyes, as she ran across the parking lot and crossed the busy main street. She had unfairly left him with the unpleasant task of having to explain to Jason why his mother didn't come back to the room to see him. This was HER kid - this was HER responsibility, not his. And yet she had dashed off and dumped everything in his lap to handle. Rob had felt disdain for a lot of people who had entered his life at different points, but Jason's mother had to be very near the top of his list.

Rob walked heatedly back to Jason's room, stopping just outside the door to take a deep breath and compose himself before entering. Corey turned around, expecting to see Jason's mother entering with him. Rob shook his head slightly at him, letting him know that that would not be happening. He noticed that they had already removed Jason's street clothes and had placed him in a hospital johnny so that he would be prepared for surgery.

"Where's my mom?" Jason groaned in a weak voice upon seeing Rob. He seemed slightly more comfortable at this point and extremely groggy and Rob presumed whatever medication he was being given through the IV was beginning to take effect.

Rob paused and mentally thought how best to word it. "Uh, well...your mom...she's still signing papers right now." It broke Rob's heart to lie to him, but he felt it was better than telling him the truth which would only serve to upset him. "But I met her and I talked to her. She wanted me to tell you that she loves you."

"She's not coming, is she?" Jason asked in a soft whisper, already knowing what the answer was.

Rob squeezed his hand tightly. "Just uh...just relax now, okay? Everything's gonna be okay."

The nurse then told them to say their goodbyes as they were ready to move Jason down to the operating room. Corey leaned over and gave Jason a gentle hug, knowing his usual bear hug would be too much for him to handle. "You're gonna be okay, buddy." Jason gave him a small nod and weak smile in return.

Rob then leaned over to administer his goodbye hug as well. As he did so, Jason grabbed onto his T-shirt to keep him close for a moment longer. "Don't leave," he whispered. "Don't leave me here all alone."

Rob placed his hand on the side of Jason's bloodied face. "We'll be in the waiting room the whole time, I promise. We're not going to leave you alone here - not for one second." And with that, they were ushered to the family waiting room.


	15. The Three of Us

Rob and Corey took a seat on a sofa in the small waiting room designated for families of surgical patients. Corey began to chew on his thumbnail nervously. "He's gonna be okay, right?" he asked.

Rob silently nodded, though not fully knowing if that was true. He looked down and could see that his hands were slightly trembling. He wasn't sure if it was from the anger he was feeling toward Jason's mother or because he was nervous for Jason. Both of his hands were smeared with Jason's blood from where he had held the towel against his head. He noticed that his sneakers had splatters of blood on them, as did his shirt.

Rob reached over and pulled Corey in close to him. He was grateful Corey hadn't been at work when this all went down. He couldn't imagine having to endure all of this alone. They remained there for what was beginning to feel like an eternity when a female voice broke the silence.

"Corey?"

They both looked up to see a nurse standing by the door of the waiting room.

Corey sprang off of the sofa and ran over to her. "Mom!" he yelled and threw his arms around her neck.

"What on earth are you doing here?" the nurse asked very surprised. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. It's my friend. He's in surgery right now and we're just waiting to hear how he is," Cory explained. He then turned around to gesture that Rob was present as well. "You remember Rob, don't you Mom?"

Rob rose from the couch and walked slowly toward Corey's mom. He recognized her from the time he had spent at their home doing the roof and deck remodel; he just hadn't recognized her at first in her scrubs, having completely forgotten that she worked at this hospital.

"Hi, Mrs. Nelson. It's nice to see you again," Rob stated shyly, not knowing what her feelings were towards him at this point.

"Oh, Rob - it's so nice to see you again," she stepped forward to embrace him and give him a large hug. "And please, call me Karen." Rob smiled back, relieved that there were apparently no hard feelings on her part regarding his and Corey's relationship.

Rob retreated a few steps back to allow Corey to catch up with his mother for a bit. After a few minutes, she had to excuse herself to get back to work. She gave Corey another hug and smiled and waved at Rob as she left the waiting room.

Corey returned to sit beside Rob, a large smile on his face. "My mom wants us to come over for dinner some night - you know, once Jason's home and everything has calmed down again. She told me my dad feels really bad about everything that happened."

Rob smiled at him. "That's great, Corey. I'm happy for you." He placed his arm over Corey's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. That little bit of news had been the only bright spot out of this entire day. Rob had felt such guilt over Corey's strained relationship with his parents and this little bit of hope to repair it was a huge relief.

They continued to wait for further news on Jason and after what seemed like forever the doctor who had spoken to them earlier came into the waiting room and took a seat beside them to give them his update.

"Is he okay?" Corey gushed.

"He's fine," the doctor smiled. "He's out of surgery now and everything went just as we had hoped. He has several stitches in his head. That was a nasty little gash he had, but with some rest he's going to be just fine. The CT scan didn't show anything unusual, so we'll treat the concussion with a lot of rest and no strenuous activity. He also has some sutures from the appendectomy and he'll probably have a small scar there permanently. No heavy lifting or physical exertion for the time being due to that as well. We're going to keep him overnight and possibly a second night just to watch him and keep an eye on things."

"Can we see him now?" Corey asked impatiently.

"They're transporting him to our recovery unit right now. Once he's settled in there you can certainly see him." Rob thanked the doctor and shook his hand. The two waited a few more minutes until they were allowed back into the recovery area.

As Rob and Corey stepped into the recovery room they noticed a different nurse tending to Jason this time. There were machines beeping, monitor screens displaying jumping graph lines in strange patterns, and several IV stands set up. Jason was asleep and had an oxygen tube inserted into his nose. All the blood had been thoroughly cleaned away from his face and his head had been re-bandaged neatly. Rob noticed how small and helpless Jason looked lying in the large bed with all the medical devices attached to him.

The nurse smiled as they entered and she offered them two chairs, one on either side of Jason's bed.

"When's he gonna wake up?" Corey asked as he sat down.

"He's still coming out of the anesthesia, but it shouldn't be too long now. Just don't be alarmed at anything he says when he comes to. The pain medication we're giving him will keep him very sedated, so if he thinks you're the Easter Bunny - don't argue with him!" she smiled as she exited the room.

Corey nodded. He had heard plenty of stories from his mom about people coming out from under anesthesia. Rob on the other hand had very little experience being in a hospital environment and the palms of his hands were sweating. He mentally began to wonder where Jason's mother had ran off to in such a hurry and how it should really be her sitting here at his bedside. She ought to be the first person he sees when he comes to.

Rob pulled his chair in a little closer to the bed so he could reach out and touch Jason's hand, giving it a small squeeze. Jason's eyes flickered open and then closed again. He began to move about slightly, his face wincing in pain as he did so. He went through several minutes of slowly opening and closing his eyes, not really focusing on anything, just staring off at nothing in particular and with a heavy, faraway gaze. Occasionally Jason would mumble something completely inaudible. It made Rob rather uncomfortable to see him in such a state.

When Jason finally was able to open his eyes for more than a second or two, he attempted to focus in on where he was. Everything looked fuzzy and sounded muffled, almost as if he was under water. He was sore and he didn't know why. He could hear voices, but couldn’t quite make them out. But little by little he was starting to piece everything together and was able to recall what had happened. He tried to focus his eyes on a blurry object in front of him, which eventually turned out to be Corey's smiling face.

"Hey!" Corey smiled. "How you doing?"

Jason returned a small smile to him. He felt somebody holding his other hand and slowly turned his head to the opposite side so he could see who it was. His head ached as he turned it, but once he did he focused in on the image to see that it was Rob.

"You're okay - it's all over. The doctor said you're gonna be fine," Rob smiled.

"Wanna go home now...Ow!" Jason whimpered softly as he attempted to shift his position in the bed. He began pulling on the oxygen tubing in his nose in an attempt to remove it.

"No, no no!" Rob stated while gently taking Jason's hand away from the oxygen. "You have to stay - doctor's orders. Just try and lie still. Don't move around too much." He stood up and tried to adjust Jason's pillow and blanket so that he was comfortable, but beyond that he simply didn't know what to do.

Corey sat on the edge of the bed, being careful to not jostle Jason as he did so. He leaned over to look at him, feeling rather guilty at how he had been picking on him earlier that day. "Um...I'm really sorry that I've been kind of a prick lately. I know I've been pissing you off a lot and...uh...I'm really sorry."

Jason smiled faintly and nodded. "It's okay." Jason felt his eyes becoming very heavy again. He started to nod off, but then forced himself to stay awake, not wanting to take his eyes off of Rob and Corey.

"It's okay Jay, you can go to sleep," Rob stated.

Jason shook his head no. "I'm afraid to," he whispered. "If I fall asleep, are you gonna leave me?"

Rob turned toward the nurse who had just stepped back in to check on Jason's oxygen. "Are we allowed to spend the night with him?" Rob asked her.

"As long as he's here in the recovery room, you're welcome to stay. Once we move him to a regular room, then you have to follow our visiting hours, but that probably won't be until the morning."

Rob turned his attention back to Jason. "Yeah, we're gonna stay. So go to sleep now, okay?"

"All night? You promise? Promise you won't leave?"

"I promise Jay, I promise."

Finally convinced that he was not going to be left alone, Jason allowed himself to fall back to sleep.

As the evening wore on, Rob eventually turned to Corey who was sitting in his chair on the opposite side of the bed. "Hey, if you want to take my car and go home for a while you can. I can sit with him. It's gonna be a long night and these chairs aren't very comfortable. Why don't you go get some sleep?"

"What? No way. I'm not going to leave you here." Corey stood up from his chair and walked over to Rob's. He stood behind him, placing his arms around Rob's shoulders and kissed him on the cheek. "The three of us are in this together - no matter what."

Rob squeezed Corey's arm tightly. He loved Corey more than life itself and would move mountains for him if he had to, but there was no denying that he was beginning to feel some form of love for Jason as well. Corey was his best friend, his partner and lover, but somehow Jason had carved out a little place in his heart as well. And while he couldn't take the place of a parent, he could and _would_ make sure that Jason was always taken care of and protected. So in that sense, Corey was right. They really had become three.


	16. Don't Tell Jason

_~The Next Day~_

Rob entered his apartment, the large dried blood stain on the hardwood floor being the first thing that caught his attention. He'd probably lose his security deposit over that, he thought to himself. He scanned the apartment, little reminders of Jason scattered everywhere. Spread across the kitchen table was his homework where he had left it. On the couch were the pillow and blanket that he used every evening, neatly folded and set off to the side having never been used last night.

It had been well over 24 hours since Rob had last set foot in the apartment. They had remained with Jason overnight in the recovery room and stayed with him when he was moved to a regular room that morning. Rob and Corey had spent the entire day with him there as well, but eventually had to leave as visiting hours had come to an end. Jason had been very upset when he found out that the hospital was keeping him an extra night and that Rob and Corey couldn't stay, but the nurse had already bent the rules and allowed them stay an hour past visiting hours. Jason had begged, pleaded and cried for them not to go, but rules are rules and they simply had to leave him there.

As Corey had already jumped into the shower, Rob walked over to the kitchen table and picked up Jason's cell phone. There were a string of texts that had come in from some friends at school. Not wanting to text every person back individually, he opened up the last text which was from someone named Ashley. If Rob remembered correctly, that was the girl Jason took to the movies a few months prior. He typed in a quick text to her explaining where Jason was and asked if she could please let his other friends know.

After Corey exited the bathroom, Rob entered it to take his own much-needed shower. He glanced into the vanity mirror and noticed he still had a small bit of blood smeared across his chin. He frowned into the mirror, knowing he looked like hell after having only gotten a few hours of sleep in the hospital chair. He turned on the shower and stepped in to remove the last of the blood once and for all. Once done, he threw on a pair of pajama bottoms and returned to the living area and sat down on the couch beside Corey.

Rob leaned back on the couch and rubbed his tired eyed with his fingers. "This kid is gonna be the death of me."

Corey placed his head on Rob's shoulder. "I hope you know how amazing I think you are."

Rob snorted at the remark. "I don't feel very amazing. I can barely keep a roof over your heads most months."

"But you ARE, and you don't even know it. It was never supposed to be like this. I wasn't supposed to move in right away with you, but shit happened and you took me in. Then I bring the kid home a few months later, and you took him in too. Then this whole scare with Jason the past two days - you didn't ask for any of it. Everything just kind of got dumped in your lap over this past year. You take care of everything...me... _and_ him. You ARE amazing."

Rob pulled Corey in a little closer. Even though he didn't necessarily believe it, it was nice to hear those reassuring words and it made him happy to know that Corey looked up to him.

The two sat silently for a while holding each other and just being grateful for the silence and the chance to let the stress of the last 24 hours slip away. "It's really quiet here without him, isn't it?" Corey stated eventually.

"Yeah. I felt so shitty when we had to leave him there all alone. We're all he's got. How friggen' sad is that?" Rob stated quietly.

"Yeah, it is. But think of it this way. The nurses are taking really good care of him tonight, and we have the whole apartment to ourselves," Corey stated softly as he ran the tips of his fingers up Rob's leg. It had been many months since that had the apartment to themselves for an entire night without their couch guest in attendance.

"I love you Rob." Corey whispered and paused, hoping to hear the words back, but knowing he wouldn't. He had accepted the fact that Rob had difficulty expressing his emotions, but there were days when it bothered him and would give just about anything to hear his affection reciprocated.

Rob stared into Corey's eyes. He loved him more than anything, there was no doubt in his mind of that, but he knew if he opened his heart up and let his guard down, he risked the chance of getting hurt. Years of remaining emotionally shut down and not allowing himself to truly feel was eventually going affect his relationship with Corey and he knew that.

Rob leaned in and begin to place soft kisses on Corey's neck, with Corey in turn placing his hand on the inside of Rob's thigh and gently stroking it with his fingers, eventually working his way up to the bulge that had formed within Rob's bottoms. Rob reached over to pull Corey in closer, his strong arms keeping him close and attempting to communicate how much Corey meant to him. Physically he always tried to show Corey how much he loved him, even if he didn't speak the words. Corey continued to focus on the area between Rob's legs and eventually slid his hand underneath the elastic waistband of the pants so that he could make skin to skin contact. Rob gave a low moan of appreciation as he did so.

Corey placed his hands on Rob's broad shoulders and gently pushed, indicating that he wanted Rob to lay on his back. Once reclined on the couch, Corey pulled Rob's lounging pants down and tossed them on to the floor. He then placed his head between Rob's legs and administered long licks up the shaft of his partner's sizable erection, stopping at the tip to tease for a few seconds before going back down again. Rob closed his eyes and allowed Corey to please him. Corey always seemed to know exactly what he wanted, without him even saying it. They were very connected in that way when it came to sex, each instinctively knowing what the other would like best. Having enjoyed himself long enough, Rob opened his eyes, wanting to reciprocate. He placed his hand on the top of Corey's head, causing him to look up. "Take yours off," Rob ordered.

Corey stood up and very slowly, almost teasingly, began to remove his pants from his legs. Rob enjoyed every second of watching his boy try to make every second they had together count. Once he was done, Rob motioned for Corey to turn around and get on top so that they could form a 69 position. Corey climbed on top and began to adjust himself when he felt Rob's mouth take in his entire length into his warm mouth. Corey sucked his breath in at the sensation, then repositioned his head back down and returned to pleasing Rob. They prolonged the act as long as they could, not having had the privacy lately to take so much time, but eventually they each felt their release within reach. Corey let out a loud groan as he relieved himself in Rob's mouth. In return, Rob thrust his hips up a bit more forcefully into Corey's mouth, which allowed him to come soon after.

Corey then repositioned himself on top of Rob so that they were face to face again. They kissed for a few moments, tasting each other as well as themselves on their partner's tongue. Rob ran his fingers through Corey's curls and tousled them. "I needed that so bad," he whispered.

"Mmmm. Me too. I hope you're not too tired, because that was just foreplay," Corey smiled wickedly at him, not wanting to waste a second of their alone-time.

Truth be told, Rob was exhausted. Not just physically, but mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and in every other way humanly possible. But he also knew spending this time with Corey was important for their relationship and they might not get another night alone like this for a while.

"Nah, not too tired, Cor. Whatever you want. Just give me a few minutes to recover, okay."

"Sure," Corey replied while resting his head on Rob's chest. He began to giggle lightly to himself.

"What's so funny?" Rob asked.

"We better not tell Jason what we did on his bed!"


	17. Must Be The Vicodin

Corey and Rob arrived to the hospital the following morning after having stopped for breakfast to enjoy the last of their alone time. As they entered Jason's room, they noticed he already had some company - two girls and two boys from school. Rob was pretty sure he recognized Ashley from a few months ago. She was laying in the bed beside Jason, snuggled up to him and playing with his hair and readjusting some of the longer strands around the bandages. They had brought a few balloons that said "Get Well" on them and a teddy bear that was holding a bouquet of Tootsie Pops.

With Jason still not feeling well, or in the mood for introductions, Rob introduced himself and Corey to the group. After a few minutes Jason's friends prepared to leave. The two boys said their goodbyes, with one patting Jason on the shoulder and the other offering him a fist bump, and the second girl giving him a quick hug and telling him she hoped he felt better soon. Ashley then leaned over and kissed Jason directly on the lips and ran her fingertips softly across his cheek as she giggled.

Corey raised an eyebrow as he side-glanced at Rob, a small smirk forming on his face.

Once Jason's school friends had left the room, Corey stated "Shit man! You should've pulled this privacy curtain around the bed and gotten it on with her!"

Jason scowled at his friend. He was still in quite a bit of pain and was in no mood for Corey's antics today.

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask you. Have you even gotten laid yet?" Corey asked.

"No! Shut up, Corey. We're just friends." Jason kicked the covers and began to bring his legs over to the side of the bed.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Rob yelled. "Hold on there! Where do you think you're going?"

"Home!" Jason stated with much more strength in his voice than he had had yesterday.

"Just sit there and cool your engines," Rob scolded. "They have to discharge you first."

A nurse came in with a large stack of take-home instructions for discharge care. She proceeded to explain each form in great detail to Rob, whose head was spinning by the end of it. There were instructions on how to change the bandages and clean the sutures on his head. There were different instructions on how to clean and care for the appendectomy incision. There was a list of medications Jason would be taking for pain and preventing infection that were to be given at different times of the day. There was also paperwork on warning signs and how to spot signs of infection and reasons to call the doctor. Rob had never been given so much responsibility in all his life. It was basically up to him to keep Jason alive for the next few days and it was overwhelming.

Rob took the stack of papers and placed them into the plastic bag the nurse had given him with some extra bandages and adhesive tape to take home. As he turned around, he could see Jason again trying to make a break for it by getting out of the bed unaided.

"Stop!" Rob ordered. "Just sit there and me and Corey will help you get dressed. Then we can all get the hell out here."

Reluctantly, Jason agreed, just for the sake of moving things along so he could leave. Corey grabbed a bag of the clean clothes that they had brought from the apartment and dumped them all all on the bed. Rob picked up a pair of underwear. He suddenly realized that the nurses had probably removed the ones Jason had come in with.

"Um....." Rob held the underwear up and looked at Corey, hoping that he would take the lead and offer to put them on the kid.

Corey laughed out loud at Rob for looking like a deer in headlights and grabbed the underwear from him. "I'll do it," he chuckled. Just move his johnny out of the way so I can see what I'm doing."

Much relieved, Rob moved the hospital gown to the side carefully and allowed Corey to slide the underwear up Jason's legs. Once that was done, they each helped remove the johnny from Jason's arms and carefully pulled a T-shirt over his head, being careful of his head wound. They then cautiously inched a pair of sweatpants up his legs, being very careful again so as to not irritate the stitches on his lower right side. They each grabbed a sock and a sneaker and placed them on Jason's feet and tied his shoes for him.

"There!" Corey said cheerfully once the task was completed. "Now I know what it feels like to play dress-up with a doll," he laughed.

Under normal circumstances Jason would have laughed, but he was tired and sore and he just wanted to go home. Rob gathered up the get-well items that Jason's friends had brought and placed them into the hospital bag, tying the ribbon of the balloons onto the handle so they wouldn't fly away.

The nurse returned and placed Jason in a wheelchair and Rob walked ahead of them so he could pull his car up to the front of the hospital so they could get Jason into it easily. Jason exhaled a sigh of relief as Rob pulled away from the hospital. He was so anxious to get home where he felt comfortable. Rob attempted to drove extra slow, trying to avoid as many pot holes as he could, but he knew Jason was getting jostled around a bit.

"Sorry," Rob apologized after hitting a bump that caused Jason to wince.

"It's okay," Jason replied, the fatigue evident in his voice.

After a quick stop at the pharmacy to fill all Jason's prescriptions, including one for a pretty potent dose of Vicodin for the pain, they arrived home. Rob and Corey took Jason under each arm to help him up the three flights of stairs to their apartment. It was slow-going, with Jason needing to stop every few steps and catch his breath. On a normal day he could run up the three flights and make it to the top in under 12 seconds, taking two steps at a time. But today was not a normal day. His body felt like that of an 80-year-old man instead of a nearly 17-year-old teenager.

"Let's just put him in our bed for now, okay?" Rob directed as he unlocked the door to the apartment. They could figure out sleeping arrangements for the evening later once Jason was more settled, but their bed would probably be the best place for him tonight.

"Okay...easy does it...there!" Corey stated as they managed to gently lower Jason and place him into their bed. He then pulled Jason's sneakers off and pulled the covers up. "You okay? You want something to drink?"

"Nuh-uh," Jason grunted. Climbing three flights of stairs had completely worn him out and his sutures were sore on his side. All he really wanted to do was go to sleep, but he was happy to be home.

"Okay. Just let me know if you want anything," Corey offered while standing over him.

Jason looked up at him with heavy eyes. "I love you," he stated softly.

Corey chuckled a little under his breath. "Sure...sure. I love you too, buddy!" He winked at Rob who was smiling himself at the silly nonsense coming out of Jason's mouth.

Rob then sat on the edge of the bed and readjusted the blanket just to make sure the kid was comfortable. "Okay. You're home now. So just get some sleep, all right?"

Jason reached his arms up to indicate that he wanted a hug. As Rob leaned over, Jason turned his face and unexpectedly kissed him directly on the lips - something he had never done before. "I love you," he whispered, just as he had to Corey. Corey stifled a laugh as he watched it all unfold. "I really love you," Jason repeated.

"Uh...yeah, okay," Rob replied, rather perplexed. "Get some sleep now, Jay."

Rob then turned to Corey, a look of confusion on his face. "Must be the Vicodin."


	18. Awakening Feelings

_"Happy Birthday to you!_  
_Happy Birthday to you!_  
_Happy Birthday dear Jason,_  
_Happy Birthday to you!"_

As Corey finished his off-key serenade, Jason made his best attempt to blow out all 17 candles on his cake.

"What did you wish for?" Corey asked as he quickly grabbed a knife to slice up the cake that he himself had baked for the special occasion.

"Can't tell," Jason grinned. No, he certainly couldn't tell. Not just because it would cause his wish to not come true, but because he knew the reality was that it would NEVER come true. Still, it was fun to fantasize about he and Corey being more than friends, even if it was just a dream and would never really happen.

"Whoa, that's way too big," Rob protested as Corey handed him an enormous slice. "So how does it feel to be 17?" he asked from across the kitchen table.

Jason shrugged his shoulders. "No different than 16 I guess."

Rob smiled at him. The bruising around Jason's eye was just about gone with only a faint yellowish coloring on his cheek leaving any indication as to what had happened only a few weeks prior. He was finally off all the medications that had been prescribed and Rob was done with changing dressings and bandages. His days of being a nursemaid were over and nobody was happier about that than Rob. He had initially taken a few days off of work just to stay home with him as Corey was scheduled to work and Rob was glad that the whole ordeal could now be put behind them.

A lot had gone on for the three of them in the last few weeks. Corey had spent a lot of time talking with his dad and they had been able to begin the process of mending fences. He had also spent a few days touring local colleges with his parents and was in the process of re-enrolling with the financial help of his parents. Rob had been invited over for dinner by Corey's parents and by the end of the evening both he and Corey felt that they were in a very good place with both of his parents.

Corey's dad had taken Rob aside at the end of dinner to talk privately, wanting to tell him how much he respected him for taking Corey in, and then Jason as well - whom he could have easily turned over to Child Protective Services. It had taken Corey's dad some time, but he had finally come around and was genuinely sorry at how he had reacted. Corey had always felt that once his parents had taken the time to get to know Rob they would see what a hardworking and determined young man he was - and even more importantly, that Corey was happy.

Jason as well had been busy in his personal life. School had ended for the summer and he had just gotten his driver's license. He had gone on a few more dates with Ashley and was going to be seeing her again later on this evening.

"So, what are you and Ashley doing tonight?" Corey asked while eating his cake. "You gonna finally get laid?" he joked.

"Shut up!" Jason hollered back. He was tired of constantly being asked by Corey about his sex-life - or lack thereof. Jason took a bite of his cake and then grinned. "Maybe," he replied softly.

Rob's head snapped up and his eyes opened wide as he dropped his fork onto his plate. "Whoa, are you serious?"

Jason shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno...I mean, yeah, maybe. Her parents are away for the weekend so..."

"Oh geez," Rob mumbled to himself and quickly walked over to his nightstand and began to fumble around for something.

"No way! Well, it's about time!" Corey teased and punched him playfully in the arm.

Rob returned to the kitchen table holding a long string of about 15 condoms that were connected to each other. Since he and Corey had become mutually exclusive, they no longer had a need for them, but Rob had kept them in his side drawer nevertheless. "Here. I'm not telling you that you SHOULD do anything, but if you do, at least make sure you're careful about it. I can't have you bringing a baby home in nine months."

"How the hell many do I need?" Jason asked looking incredulously at the string of condoms that almost hit the floor.

Corey reached over and tore one off at the perforation mark. "Just one. Rob's just being over protective."

Jason grinned shyly and put the condom in his back pocket. He finished his cake, brushed his teeth, and then started to head for the door.

"Hold on," Corey shouted as he dashed into the bathroom and returned with a can of body spray, squirting Jason a few times with it and leaving him coughing and waving his arms in the air to remove the extra spray still floating around. "Gotta smell good. Girls like that!" Corey chirped.

Rob shook his head at Corey's overenthusiasm. He stepped forward to give Jason one last look as he handed him the keys to his car. "So...yeah...just...you know," Rob stammered. "Be careful and stuff. Don't do any stupid shit."

"Oooh! That was so eloquent!" Corey laughed at him.

Rob shot him an annoyed glare. Sex talks and giving older brotherly advice wasn't exactly his forte, but he felt like something needed to be said at that moment. And as poorly articulated as it was, that was the best that Rob had to offer.

Jason smiled appreciatively at the words. He knew tender talk wasn't something that came easily for his older roommate. He stepped forward and placed his arms around Rob's waist for a hug.

"I will," Jason said. "I'll be careful."

***********************************************************************

Rob and Corey had been laying in bed talking when Jason came in at 11:00 p.m., his curfew having been extended an hour from a few months ago. Corey motioned for him to come over and sit on the bed with them.

"So...how'd it go?" Corey grinned, pushing for an answer.

Jason's cheeks blushed as he ran his hand nervously through his hair. He just grinned and nodded, hoping that that was enough for them to get the message.

"Oh, our little boy's lost his virginity! I think I'm gonna cry," Corey mocked while placing his hands over his eyes and pretending to sob.

Rob just smiled at the kid. He was becoming a young man right in front of his very eyes it seemed.

"Um...can I ask you guys a question?" Jason asked.

"Sure!" Corey chirped. "What do you need to know?"

Rob just smirked. "Yeah, apparently Corey thinks he's quite the ladies man."

"So...um....is it normal to...um," Jason stopped and cleared his throat uncomfortably.

Corey cut him off mid-sentence. "Oh yeah, don't worry about that. It happens to everyone when they're new at it. You'll last longer next time."

Jason stared back blankly. "No. That's not what I'm asking. What I want to know is...when you're making out with somebody, is it normal to be thinking about someone else?"

Rob leaned forward, his face concerned and serious. "Well, honestly, if you're thinking about somebody else when you're with Ashley, that's probably a good sign that she's the one you really want to be with."

Jason nodded. He had already presumed that was the case, but wanted to get reassurance from Corey and Rob as they were older and had far more experience.

"Who were you thinking of tonight?" Corey asked. "Was it that other girl who was at the hospital visiting you?"

Jason shyly shook his head no.

Corey thought for a moment. "Was it one of the boys that was visiting you?" he grinned. "One of them was kind of cute!"

"No!" Jason shouted back. "Nevermind! I shouldn't have said anything to you anyway. All you do is make fun of me. I'm going to bed!" Jason stormed off to the couch not wanting to discuss it any further.

Corey blinked, not fully sure why Jason had gotten so upset. "Who do you think he was thinking about?" he whispered to Rob.

Rob shrugged his shoulders. "No clue."

Jason plopped himself on the couch and pulled the blanket completely over his head. The night hadn't gone quite as he had expected. He may have lost his virginity, but it certainly wasn't what he had hoped for. And deep down, he knew Rob was right. When you're having sex with somebody, your mind probably shouldn't be on somebody else. But what was utterly confusing to Jason wasn't so much that somebody else had been on his mind tonight, but WHO was on his mind. Rob.


	19. Planning For The Future

Corey stood and stared up at the roof of the partially constructed two-story Colonial house, his hand above his head trying to shield the glare of sun from his eyes. He was watching Rob move about with ease as he walked from one end of the roof top to the other, his body weight thrown to one side to adjust for the slant. He and Jason had arrived at the worksite a few minutes before noon and were waiting for Rob to get his lunchbreak. 

"Oh man, just look at him up there! The bare skin on his back all glistening in the sun, his tight jean shorts hugging his ass, his tanned chest, his abs. Fuck! He looks like a Greek god up there, doesn't he?" Corey asked not able to take his adoring eyes off the masculine figure working on the roof. 

"A Greek god? Wow, that's really deep," Jason snorted. 

"What? You don't find him attractive?"

Jason grinned, not sure how he should answer that question. 

"Seriously - tell me the truth," Corey prodded. "It's okay - I won't get mad, I promise. Don't you think his gorgeous?"

"Um....well, yeah. Of course. I mean, he's...he's perfect." Jason shuffled his feet in the dirt, hoping Corey wasn't able to read anything further into his reply. 

Corey nodded in agreement and turned his love-struck gaze back to the roof top. "Yeah, he sure is." 

Jason paused for a moment before asking his next question. "So, do you only like jock-type guys?" 

"No, not necessarily," Corey replied. "I mean, if me and Rob weren't a thing, I could totally see myself with somebody like you. I like pretty boys like you too - and I don't mean that as an insult, so don't get all pissy with me. But you know, you got that whole baby-faced thing going on - big blue doll eyes, long blond hair, tiny frame. So yeah, I'm into that too." 

Jason blushed upon hearing that. He had thought Corey was attractive from very early on in his stay with them so it was flattering to hear that Corey thought he was desirable as well. Jason had been dealing with a lot of different emotions lately, with his sudden attraction to Rob still quite new and perplexing to him. But he was 17 and Jason figured that it was pretty normal to be attracted to more than one person at a time at this age. He assumed by next week his attraction would move on to somebody else. At least he hoped it did. 

The foreman yelled out to break for lunch and Rob climbed down the ladder from the rooftop, Corey's eyes fixed on him the entire time. A new complex consisting of multiple houses was being constructed at the site which had kept Rob beyond busy with overtime lately and Corey and Jason had decided to bring him lunch to eat outside since it was such a nice day. 

As Rob approached the two of them, a female exited her car and approached one of Rob's co-worker's and gave him a hug and kiss on the lips. Corey presumed it was either the co-worker's girlfriend or wife and frowned to himself. Keeping his and Rob's relationship quiet had become a sticking point for Corey lately. While Corey had decided to be completely open to his family and friends, Rob wanted to keep it all quiet on his end, at least when it came to work. Whenever a co-worker would ask Rob if he was seeing anybody, the answer would always be short and to the point..."Not really. Just playing the field. Not interested in anything long-term." Those answers of course didn't sit well with Corey. 

"Too bad we can't do that, huh?" Corey asked as he tilted his head towards the other couple as they kissed. 

"I'm sorry, Cor. We've talked about this before. This is a dangerous job and I need to know that every one of these guys has my back at all times. Most of the guys I work with wouldn't care one way or the other who I'm involved with, but there are one or two here that...I just don't know." 

Corey rolled his eyes. 

"I'm sorry," Rob said softly. "It won't be like this forever, I promise. Some day if I'm ever lucky enough to be behind a desk and not risking life and limb, it won't matter so much. But right now, I need to know if I'm dangling off a roof or I cut my hand off with a saw that every one of these guys would rush in to help me and have my back. I'll make it up to you, I promise," he finished with a smile. 

Jason's eyes went back and forth between the two as they talked. He often found himself in the middle of their private discussions lately which had become more intense as of late. Corey was demanding more from Rob emotionally, and Rob didn't seem to be fully able to provide it. 

"How about this? You and I go out tonight - alone," Rob glanced at Jason so there would be no misunderstanding. "Do you mind staying alone tonight Jay, or do you want me to drop you off at Corey's parents?"

Jason mulled the options over. Given the choice, Jason would much rather be included in their date nights, but Corey's mom was fun to be around too. And since he absolutely hated being home alone, the choice was an easy one. 

"I'd rather go to Karen's house," Jason stated. "The last time I was there your mom took me to the mall for dinner and bought me new sneakers." He shook one foot in the air to show off his new shoes. 

Corey's mom had taken an immediate liking to Jason after having met him a few weeks ago. She had insisted that Rob bring him along for Sunday dinner, rather than leaving him all alone at their apartment. She had pulled Rob aside later that evening and told him that anytime he and Corey wanted some time alone to simply drop Jason off at their house. To date, Rob had taken her up on the offer a few times. Corey's mom was like a godsend to them in that sense. 

"Fine - it's settled then. Whatever you want to do tonight Corey, we'll do," Rob stated. "Let's just go sit down and have lunch, okay? I need a break."

Later that afternoon Rob and Corey were busy showering and getting ready for their night out. Rob put a quick phone call into Corey's mom to confirm that it was okay to drop Jason off in a few minutes. 

"Okay, you two," Rob stated after hanging the phone up. "Sit down for a minute. I have a few things I want to run by the two of you." 

Corey belly flopped onto the bed and Jason sat down beside him. 

"Is this good news or bad news?" Corey asked, as it was usually bad news when Rob called any sort of apartment meeting. 

"I would say it's good news," Rob smiled. "I finally got the promotion at work I was hoping for. Starting Monday I'll be the foreman's assistant." 

Corey sprung up into a sitting position at the news. "That's great! You'll get a raise too, won't you?" 

Rob nodded his head. "A small one, but yes. But there are a couple of guys at work that aren't happy at all about it. Some of them have been there a lot longer than I have and there's a little tension right now between me and a few of them." 

Corey nodded his head in understanding, feeling a little guilty at pushing so hard at Rob to come public with their relationship earlier that day. Rob knew better than he did what the environment was at his workplace. "I'm sorry if you thought I was trying to rock the boat earlier," he said softly. 

"It's fine," Rob stated. "But I have something else I need to tell you about." He took a manilla envelope off of the kitchen table and sat down on the bed beside them to explain. 

"I get benefits at work. You know, 401K, worker's comp, health insurance, stuff like that. I also get life insurance. When I first got it, I hadn't even met you Corey, so I put my boss down as the beneficiary because...I mean...if I died back then, nobody would've given a shit or cared." 

Rob sighed as he continued on. "But things are different now. Every year the office manager makes us go over our paperwork to see if we need to make any changes and...well, this year I figured I needed to make some. Corey - you're in a good place right now with your parents. Things are going really well and I'm happy for you. If something happened to me, you know, like I fell of a roof or just dropped dead, you'd be okay." 

Corey frowned, not wanting to think about such things. 

"But Jason...he's in a different place," Rob continued. "He really has nobody to take care of him - nowhere to go if I'm suddenly out of the picture. So, I put both of you guys down as the beneficiaries on my life insurance. But I want you to promise me something Corey - promise me that if anything happened to me, you'll make sure Jason is taken care of."

"Stop it!" Corey huffed angrily at the topic being discussed. "I don't want to think about this tonight. Tonight was supposed to be fun." 

"We have to talk about it eventually, and now is as good a time as ever," Rob replied. "Look, I just want to know that you two would be okay without me. So please, just promise me that you would look after Jason if it ever came to that." 

Corey frowned at the thought of it, but nodded his head. "Of course I would," he said in a small voice. "He'd go wherever I went. I wouldn't leave him behind. I promise." 

Rob smiled warmly at him. "Thanks, Cor. That makes me feel better." 

Throughout the conversation Jason had remained completely silent, simply listening to each of them going back and forth. He had a hard time even processing what was being said, not really fully understanding what life insurance was for in the first place, but what he WAS able to comprehend was that Rob was already thinking to the future and that Jason was clearly a part of that future, in one way or another. 

Jason then got up on his knees and scooted over on the bed so that he could hug Rob tightly. There was nobody in this world that seemed to care more about him than Rob, and of course Corey. He didn't have the words to say 'thank you,' because those two little words just didn't seem to do it justice. They were hardly enough to show how much Jason appreciated everything Rob had done for him in the past year. 

Rob patted Jason on the back as the hug wore on. He had grown more accustomed and comfortable with Jason's signs of affection. Not wanting to be left out, Corey jumped in as well. "Group hug!" he shouted as joined in. 

"Okay Jason. Are you ready to go?" Rob asked in an attempt to break the embrace. "I told Karen I'd be dropping you off at 6:00." Jason appeared to not hear as he continued to cling tightly to Rob. 

Rob paused for another moment before speaking. "Is everything okay, Jason?" he asked awkwardly. 

Jason suddenly pulled back, his face a bit flushed, realizing that he held the hug for far too long, but once he had felt Rob's arms around him he simply didn't want it to end. 

Jason nodded and hopped off the bed a bit embarrassed. They then piled into Rob's car and Jason was dropped off with Corey's parents for evening. As Rob backed the car out of the driveway and pulled away, he reached over to take Corey's hand, giving him a warm smile as he did so. Corey squeezed his hand back and smiled widely, not taking his eyes off his boyfriend for the entire ride.


	20. "Me too?"

"Are we there yet?" Jason asked from the back seat of the car. Rob just looked at him in the rear view mirror and ignored him. If he had asked that question once, he had asked it 20 times.

The summer was officially winding down. Corey was about to restart classes at college and Jason would be a senior in high school in just one more week. So if they were going to have any vacation at all this summer, this was the last week they could do it.

Rob breathed a sigh of relief as he drove down the narrow country road and pulled his car down the driveway of the beach house that belonged to his boss. They have finally arrived after what could best be described as a two hour ride from hell, with Jason growing increasingly restless in the back seat over the last hour. He was used to dealing with Corey's fidgetiness, but to have two of them in the car at the same time had been draining.

Initially the plan had been to leave Jason at Karen's for a few days, but upon seeing the kid's face fall when he realized that he wasn't going, Rob had pulled Corey aside and asked if he minded if they took him along. There were three bedrooms in the house, each with a locking door, so they would most certainly have more privacy than they did at home. And since Corey had been agreeable to letting Jason come along, the romantic vacation for two had become a vacation for three instead.

"Whoa! This place is so nice!" Jason gasped as he jumped out of the car and looked at the outside of the cute beach house. He turned himself around 360 degrees to scan the entire property. Directly across from the house he could see a beautiful lake with a private sandy beach area. There was also a long wooden dock with a speedboat tied up to it which also belonged to Rob's boss. Rob had been given permission to use the boat and Jason was anxious to experience his first boat ride ever.

"I've never been on a vacation," Jason gushed as he took in the entire property. He then began with an assault of rapid-fire questions: "What room am I gonna sleep in? When can we go swimming? Can we go out in the boat today? Do I get my own bathroom? Where are we going to eat tonight?"

"Hold your horses," Rob sighed, his patience having waned after the long car ride. "We'll be here for a few days so we'll get to everything. But remember, the deal I made with my boss is that I'm going to do some house repairs so I don't have to pay the rental fee, so there's gonna be some downtime when you guys will have to go off and do your own thing while I'm working, okay?"

Jason nodded and the three grabbed their bags from the trunk and headed inside. Corey was used to vacationing and while this beach house was nice, he had stayed in far nicer ones. His family had vacationed in Europe one summer, gone on a cruise the next year, and had visited Disney World more times than he could remember. But he knew Rob couldn't afford such elaborate vacations as that, so this was a perfect opportunity for them to have an affordable vacation. And it would probably be a bit more fun since they had brought Jason along, Corey surmised.

As they entered the house, Jason immediately ran up the stairs to search the second floor and explore the bedrooms. He then came flying down and ran through the downstairs rooms and out onto the screened in sunporch, trying to take everything in at once. Rob smiled at the excitement he was clearly having. It was just an old beach house in need of some fresh paint and minor repairs, but to Jason it seemed like a palace.

Corey walked into the kitchen and opened up the refrigerator to put in a few groceries that they had brought from home. "Whoa! Jackpot! Rob, check this out!" he called. He reached in and pulled out a bottle of Bacardi rum. "Look! It's still sealed - never opened! Whoever rented this house last must've left it behind. We can get a bottle of Coke and have it later tonight, right?" Corey was 19 now, and while he still couldn't go to an over 21 club or bar with Rob quite yet, he could have a drink in the privacy of the beach house.

"We'll see," Rob said with a smile.

Rob pulled out his list of tasks and repairs to be made, wanting to get the majority of them done immediately so he could relax and enjoy the rest of the week without worrying about them. Corey yelled for Jason to see if he wanted to go down to the beach. Jason didn't own a bathing suit, so Corey had brought an extra one along for him. They made a quick change into their swim trunks and prepared to walk over to the beach area.

Jason paused at the door, as if suddenly remembering something. He turned around to Corey and stated "I don't know how to swim. So don't try to be funny and throw me in or anything." Corey was known for his teasing pranks and drowning in a lake was the last thing Jason wanted to happen.

Corey shook his head. "Nah, I wouldn't do that to you. I'll teach you how to swim. It's not that hard, I swear."

Satisfied with that, Jason headed over to the beach with Corey in tow. Rob would use the next few hours of silence to tackle the bulk of his repairs, every once in a while walking to the front of the beach house and looking over toward the lake to make sure the two of them were still above water. He smiled as he watched Corey holding Jason under his stomach while he attempted to teach him how to swim. He was grateful they got along as well as they did. Aside from a small kerfuffle every now and then, they really had become the best of friends and were almost inseparable.

Within a couple of hours Rob had checked several of his 'to-do' items off his list, just as Jason and Corey paraded back inside, dripping water all over the floor in the process.

"Go dry off and get dressed guys. We'll drive into town to get dinner for tonight," Rob told them as he packed away some of his smaller power tools for the day.

"And a bottle of Coke!" Corey chirped. "We can't forget that."

After spending a few hours in town that evening, they returned to the house with Corey having obtained his Coke. Rob plopped himself on the large sectional couch, and for the first time that day felt like he had actually started his vacation after working on repairs most of the day.

Corey brought in three glasses from the kitchen and the rum from the refrigerator. Rob watched him as he carefully set everything up on the coffee table. "You playing bartender tonight?" he laughed.

Jason watched as Corey filled each glass 3/4 of the way up with Coke and then began to add some rum to the first two glasses. He stopped at the third glass and looked over at Rob. "It's okay for him to have some, isn't it?"

Jason looked over at Rob hopefully, wanting to be able to at least try it. "Please?" he asked.

Rob frowned a little and thought for a second. "Just a little, Cor. He's only 17."

Corey nodded and put just a splash into the third glass, then handed it to Jason.

Rob took a sip of his and then looked up at Corey. "That's strong as hell, Cor! You trying to knock me on my ass tonight?"

Corey grinned and raised his eyebrows up and down, causing Rob to laugh.

The three watched TV for the remainder of the night, with Corey topping off their drinks when they got low, until Rob received a phone call from his boss checking in on how the repairs were going. He stepped into another room to take the call, leaving Jason and Corey alone in the living room. Corey quickly took the opportunity to add more rum to Jason's glass. Corey was already beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol kicking in from his heavy hand. He then added a little more rum to his and Rob's glass as well.

Rob returned to the room to find the two laughing hysterically about something, but as that was nothing unusual he didn't think much more of it. He didn't always understand what the two of them found so amusing at times, but had grown accustomed to it.

Rob took another sip of his drink and immediately looked over at Corey. "Did you add more to mine?" he asked. Suddenly acutely aware of why the two of them were falling about and giggling up a storm, Rob leaned over and picked up Jason's glass and took a sip. He gave Corey a death glare when he tasted how strong it was. Corey responded by smiling, shrugging his shoulders and playing dumb as if he had no idea what had happened. Corey was obviously buzzed and from the looks of it Jason might be a little too. Rob took the near empty rum bottle and disposed of it in the kitchen to prevent any further alcohol consumption for the evening. "You friggin' lightweights are shut off," he called over his shoulder.

Rob returned to the couch and wearily placed his head back on the cushion and closed his eyes. Corey certainly had a heavy hand when it came to pouring the rum and he was beginning to feel the effects of it himself as well. He could hear that the giggling had turned into whispering and as he opened his eyes, he could see Corey and Jason nose to nose, talking softly between themselves. They were physically far too close to each other and had clearly crossed what could be considered the "friend-zone" line on the couch, but Rob was in a state of peaceful zen tonight and it didn't bother him. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but he watched as they interacted and smiled at each other. Rob had had an inkling that the kid had feelings for Corey, and he was even more certain of it now as his body language gave it away. Jason would stare into Corey's eyes for a few seconds, and then immediately look down to Corey's lips, almost begging to be kissed it seemed to Rob.

Under normal circumstances, if not sober ones, Rob would have put a halt to the behavior, as he did when their wrestling matches became too touchy-feely at home. But with his mood more mellowed out that it had been in ages, he simply sat back and watched the flirtatious scene play out in front of his eyes. Corey had placed his hand on Jason's leg and just when it looked like he might be considering giving Jason a kiss, he stopped. Corey turned his head toward Rob, silently asking for permission to proceed. The spark in Corey's eye indicated that he was still very much aware of Rob watching them and wanted to turn Rob on in the process.

Rob nodded very slightly, not wanting to seem overly anxious to watch Corey kiss Jason, but secretly quite aroused by the whole idea. It wasn't often Rob allowed himself to get caught up a moment and throw caution to the wind, but tonight that was exactly what he felt like doing. It had been years since he had felt this loose and relaxed and he rather enjoyed it. He was on vacation after all, the perfect time to let your guard down, relax, and do things you normally wouldn't do.

Corey turned his attention back to Jason and moved in to kiss him. As he did so, Corey made sure to position his body in a way that Rob could see everything that was being done. As the kissed continued, Corey took his hand and placed it on the side of Jason's cheek, eventually moving it down his neck, shoulder, and then placed it on his waist. He was surprised how improved Jason's kissing had gotten since the "practice" kiss they had had many months earlier. 

Corey took a quick glance at Rob to make sure he was still watching, then took his hand and moved it over to Jason's upper thigh, gently using his fingers and thumb to squeeze it. From his position on the sectional couch, Rob watched every movement Corey made, and noted every response and reaction that came from Jason, who was clearly being swept up in the moment.

Jason followed Corey's lead to a tee and took the opportunity to explore his friend's mouth with his tongue. His feelings for Corey had been growing and even if it was only the rum that had caused this unexpected affection from Corey, Jason would take it. A soft moan formed in Jason's throat as he felt Corey's finger squeezing his inner thigh. Jason adjusted his pelvis slightly, almost begging Corey to move his fingers further between his legs.

Knowing he had teased Rob long enough, Corey smiled at Jason, told him to hold on for a second, and then slithered over closer to Rob. After a few kisses to Rob's lips, Corey slunk down onto his knees and quickly began to place hard and forceful kisses to Rob's crotch, over his jeans. He smirked to himself as he realized that Rob was already hard before he had even touched him.

Corey then undid the snap at the top of Rob's jeans and unzipped the zipper as far as it would go. He ran his fingers and tongue over the thin underpants, continuing to tease and taunt.

Jason stared and watched, not sure if he would now be removed from their foreplay, but desperately hoping that wasn't the case. Rob threw his head back on the couch and closed his eyes, keeping one hand firmly on the back of Corey's head. For a moment, Rob almost forgot that Jason was still seated beside them on the couch.

"Me too?" Jason asked in a whisper after a minute had passed. It was most likely the alcohol causing him to be so forward, but he knew if he didn’t say something now, the opportunity might pass him by. The three of them were all feeling the effects of the rum and Coke and Corey had basically rubbed the lamp and let the genie out at this point. The foreplay had gotten to a point where none of them wanted to stop.

Rob turned his head toward Jason while Corey carried on pleasing him. 'God, he's so fucking beautiful,' Rob thought to himself as he stared at the pretty face looking back at him - the kind of face you couldn't say no to, and before Rob realized what was about to happen, Jason had moved forward and kissed him full on the lips. It was a quick kiss, but Jason had made his point nevertheless. He wanted to play some part, no matter how small, in what was going on.

Corey paused from his task and looked up at the two of them. Rob glanced down at Corey, wanting to make completely sure all three of them were on the same page moving forward. One look at Corey's lustful expression answered the question and Rob then pulled Jason in to return the kiss. He was going to throw caution to the wind tonight, whether that was right or wrong, and simply do what felt good at the moment for once in his life.

Corey then removed Rob's erection fully from the confines of his underwear and began to suck longingly on it. He placed his other hand directly over the crotch of Jason's jeans. Jason sucked his breath in at the sensation. For a moment he wasn't sure if it was the alcohol making his head spin, or the realization that Rob was deep-tongue kissing him while Corey was stroking him. In his wildest dreams, and he had quite a few, he couldn’t have imagined this actually happening to him.

Corey's nimble fingers opened up Jason's jeans and he proceeded to slide his hand down and into Jason's underwear and grasped his cock. He gently rubbed his thumb over the tip, at which point Jason could almost not bear the over stimulation. Jason moaned into Rob's mouth as he continued to kiss him, and Corey carried on pleasing Rob orally, bringing him closer and closer to coming. Jason lowered his eyes and admired how talented Corey was in his ability to please his partner. "I wanna try too," Jason said softly as he broke the kiss with Rob and slid off the couch to move into position beside Corey on the floor.

Corey looked up at Rob and smiled coyly, and then shifted slightly to one side to allow Jason enough room to participate as well. Corey pulled Rob's jeans completely down to allow more access and then demonstrated a very slow, sensual lick up Rob's shaft, starting at his balls and working his way up to the tip - lingering for a few seconds at the top, and then traveling back down again.

Jason watched and studied Corey's every move so that he could replicate it properly. He had never seen Rob completely naked before and it was rather intimidating. Rob had the body of a man in every sense of the word, but with Corey beside him and the new confidence he felt due to the alcohol, Jason followed suit and mimicked the entire act with his own tongue. Corey then rejoined him and the two proceeded to bring Rob to a place that he could have only imagined in his wildest fantasies. He gazed down at the two beautiful boys kneeling on the floor who were doing their absolute best to please him, putting their own desires temporarily on hold. He put one hand on each of their heads and stroked their hair and moaned every few moments to let them know that he was enjoying it immensely.

Every now and then Jason would glance up at him, his eyes needing to know that he was doing a good job. He knew he wasn't nearly as talented as Corey, but he hoped he was good enough. Once a smile or nod had been given from Rob, Jason would carry on, happy to have received Rob's approval.

"Oh fuck!" Rob groaned and arched his back, hoping that one of them would take him fully into their mouths. Sensing that Rob was close to coming, Corey indicated to Jason that he was going to take over from here. Jason obediently sat back on his heels and watched how an expert finished a blow-job.

Corey took in all of Rob's sizable length at once and sucked hard. Jason could see Corey's cheeks become hollowed out as he did so. He was somewhat astonished how Corey was able to take the entire length into his mouth without choking, but he seemed to do it with absolute ease. He watched as Corey's hand massaged Rob's scrotum and then alternately squeezed and stroked his shaft until Rob couldn't take anymore. A loud groan emerged from deep within Rob's throat and Jason knew that he was coming inside Corey's mouth at that very moment. How he wanted to be able to make Rob that happy himself someday. A small part of him felt a bit left out as he wasn't allowed to be part of Rob's climax.

Rob raised his arms and ran his hands through his hair as he exhaled. "Fuck, that was good," he stated. Corey beamed from ear to ear at the compliment, while Jason continued to sit back on his heels, knowing he had played no part in pleasing Rob at the very end.

"Hey," Rob stated, causing Jason to look up him. "You did really good, too. Honestly." Jason smiled, appreciative of the positive feedback, and silently hoped he would get a chance to make Rob come in the near future,

Rob stood up and motioned for them to rise as well. He put an arm around each of their waists, gave Corey's neck a kiss first and then Jason's. He then turned to Corey and slid his pants and underwear down to his ankles, which he then kicked off. He ran his hand up Corey's manhood and held it tightly for a moment, staring into Corey's eyes as he did so. There was a definite possessiveness about the gesture Jason noticed. "Sit down," Rob ordered.

As Corey sat down on the couch, Rob turned his attention back to Jason. He smiled and scanned the teen's face to make sure there was no sign of his changing his mind. The adoring blue eyes that looked back at him indicated that he will still on board. He then removed Jason's jeans in the same manner as he did Corey's. Rob placed his fingers on Jason's hips for a moment, dragging the tips of his fingers down his outer thighs and just slightly around to the back where the crease of his curved bottom began. Jason almost forgot to breathe for a moment as Rob pressed his fingers into the soft skin of his ass. He was standing naked, aside from his T-shirt that remained on, beside Rob who was also naked. He felt a chill go up his spine at the realization.

"Sit down in Corey's lap," Rob instructed. Jason blushed a bit as he assumed the slightly awkward position he had been requested to take, but he trusted Rob and did as he was told. Corey wrapped his arms tightly around Jason's waist and nuzzled himself into his neck. He hoisted Jason up a tad to free his own erection so Rob could easily access it.

Rob then knelt down on the carpet and positioned their four legs exactly how he wanted them. He bent and spread Corey's legs apart and had Jason drape his legs over Corey's to give him enough working room. From that position, Rob would be able to easily go back and forth between the two, making sure they were both being tended to. He initially took hold of Jason's shaft and stroked and squeezed it while he orally pleased Corey. He then alternated and placed his mouth just over Jason's erection. He looked up to make sure he still had the go-ahead to proceed.

Jason stared down at him, his eyelids heavy, his mouth partially opened and breathing heavy, his chest rising and falling quickly beneath Corey's arms that were holding him tight. He nodded his head quickly to indicate that he very much wanted Rob to continue. "Do it," he whispered softly. As he watched and felt Rob's mouth envelope his entire cock, Jason's back arched at the sensation. He cried out from the pleasure of it and turned his face toward Corey who held him close and guided him through it with a few words of encouragement. "Just relax and let him take care of you," Corey softly whispered in his ear. "It feels so good, doesn't it?"

Before he could even answer, Jason felt a warm build-up inside him beginning to rise. He tried to prevent it from happening so quickly, not wanting this feeling to ever end, but it was impossible. Within mere seconds of Rob placing his mouth on him, Jason was already coming. He groaned loudly as he grabbed the couch for stability, threw his head back onto Corey's shoulder, and pushed his pelvis as deep into Rob's mouth as humanly possible.

Rob was surprised as how quickly it had all ended, but he never let on or said a word. He simply took what Jason had given him and swallowed the gift, then finished with a few more soft licks to make sure he was left as clean as when they started.

A chuckle emerged from Corey who had just realized what had happened. Rob shot him a quick glare, warning him not to make any smart-aleck remark. And to further ensure nothing stupid or insulting came out of Corey's mouth, he immediately turned his attention to Corey's waiting cock and went to work pleasing him, which Rob knew would render his partner speechless.

Corey squeezed Jason's waist tighter and tighter as Rob skillfully pleased him. After several minutes, Corey felt his own release approaching and cried out that he was about to come. Once Corey had ridden his orgasm to completion, Rob rose and leaned over the two of them who were still awkwardly positioned on the couch. He stared at the two for a moment.  The one who he would love until death - his best friend and partner in life; and the other, whom he now realized he loved equally as well. The realization of what they had just down began to filter through the alcohol haze. What had happened was going to change their relationship, for better or worse, whether they wanted it to or not.

"Umm...I think it's time we all got some sleep," Rob stated, not knowing what else to say. "Let's head to bed now guys, okay?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hadn't planned for a full 20 chapters before anything intimate happened, but I really wanted to give them a solid foundation before it turned sexual. If you are still reading this far in, you have patience! :)


	21. After Effects

Rob felt his foot hit something solid as he rolled over in bed. He opened his eyes to look at the digital alarm clock on the nightstand beside him. It read 2:34 a.m. He sat upright and realized it was Jason, sound asleep at the foot of their bed, that he had inadvertently kicked. He didn't exactly remember the kid getting into the bed; he honestly didn't remember much of anything after the three-way blowjob. He vaguely recalled them all stumbling up the stairs to bed, but he was pretty sure he never told Jason he could sleep in the bed with them.

Rob's thoughts of the extra bedmate were interrupted by the sounds of whimpering and groaning. He looked over to his right side and saw Corey thrashing about in bed. "Uhghh.....I'm gonna be sick," he moaned.

"Get into the bathroom, quick," Rob ordered and jumped out of bed to follow him in. Corey had barely made it to the toilet when he began to vomit. Jason came running in behind them, having been woken up by the sudden commotion. "Is he okay?" he asked sleepily as he rubbed his eyes.

Rob nodded as he sat down on the edge of the tub. "Yeah, he'll feel better once he's thrown up." He made a deliberate attempt to keep his eyes down toward the bathroom floor as he spoke, the memory of what the three of them had done just a few hours before making him feel a bit uncomfortable.

Corey remained on his knees puking his brains out. Jason immediately knelt down beside him and rubbed his back, not knowing what else he could do to help. He gave the toilet a courtesy flush every now and then as Corey continued to vomit and he attempted to gently move the mop of curls out Corey's eyes and face as he threw up. He remained fully attentive to Corey the entire time and eventually the vomiting had seemed to come to an end, but he was still retching and whispering into the toilet "Oh my god, I'm gonna die...I just wanna die."

Jason turned anxiously to Rob, not knowing why he would say such a thing. His eyes were wide with concern. "What's wrong with him? Is he gonna die?" he asked nervously.

Rob turned his gaze at him, hearing the worry in his voice. "No, he just feels that way, but he's gonna be okay. He's just dry heaving now because there's nothing left in his stomach. It'll stop soon and he'll just sleep it off. He'll be all right - don't worry."

Jason nodded and continued to rub Corey's back through the end of his retching. Once it seemed as though he was finally done, Rob handed him a cup of mouthwash so he could remove the horrid taste from his mouth and made him drink some water to rehydrate. He then gave him a few Tylenol to help with the splitting headache that he was sure to have in the morning.

As Rob helped Corey up off the floor and back to bed, Jason stated "I can stay with him tonight if you want. You can take my room and I'll stay in here and take care of him. I'll watch him all night long and make sure he's okay."

Rob smiled at his genuine concern. "No, that's okay Jason. I appreciate that though. I think he's probably just gonna sleep it off now. Why don't you just go back to your room, okay? You'll sleep better there. I can handle this."

Jason reluctantly began to head out of the room, but stopped at the door and turned his head back around. "Rob?"

"Yeah?"

"You promise he's gonna be okay?"

"I promise, Jay. Go back to bed now."

***************************************************************

"GOOD MORNING!" Rob yelled loudly as he pulled the window shade up sharply, allowing a bright stream of sunlight to enter the room and fall across the bed. Corey groaned and pulled the blanket over his head. He was hungover, still feeling pretty miserable, and the last thing he wanted was bright sunlight and noise.

Rob sat on the bed, making sure to bounce it a few times to ensure that Corey regretted his decision to drink so much the night before. "So..." he stated loudly while shaking Corey by the shoulder, "You gonna go out on the boat with us this morning? We can hit all the waves - I'll make sure the boat goes up and down...up and down...up and down," emphasizing each word with a forceful bounce on the mattress.

Corey groaned just hearing the words. Imagining himself on a boat right now made him feel seasick in addition to being hung over.

"No!" Corey grumbled. "I don't feel good - my head is pounding. Just let me sleep."

"Okay! Suit yourself!" Rob shouted, making sure to slam the bedroom door as he exited. It was tough love perhaps, but he wanted to make sure Corey was so miserable that he never got that drunk again. Buzzed is one thing, throwing up in the toilet drunk was quite another.

Rob wasn't at all surprised that Jason was already dressed, ready and waiting for him as he came downstairs. He had already told the kid they would go out on the boat at 10:00 a.m. and he knew that Jason would hold him to that.

"Is he coming?" Jason asked hopefully.

Rob simply shook his head, not bothering to answer. They walked over to the dock and stepped onto the boat, with Rob handing him a life jacket. "Here, you have to wear this." Jason didn't particularly want to wear the bulky, ugly orange thing, but he had only had one swimming lesson with Corey the day before, so it was probably for the best.

Rob took the boat for a few laps around the large lake so Jason could enjoy the scenery. They passed by areas of thickly wooded trees, cute little cottages, and even some houses that Jason thought looked like mansions to him. He had never been out of the inner city, so for Jason every little thing he saw was his first experience. After a bit, Rob stopped the boat in the middle of the lake and turned the engine off, allowing the boat to just bob for a bit so they could talk. Something needed to be said about last night, and now was as good a time as ever.

Rob turned around on his seat to face Jason who was still taking in all the sites and scenery. "Why'd you stop the boat?" he asked as he had been thoroughly enjoying himself.

"I wanted to talk to you about last night." Rob paused for a moment, wanting to choose his words carefully. "I'm sorry. That never should have happened."

Jason began to protest, but Rob put a hand up to indicate that he wasn't finished.

"Let me finish. It was wrong, Jason. Me and Corey - what we did was wrong. We all had too much to drink and we weren't thinking. We crossed a line that shouldn't have been crossed. And it won't happen again," Rob stated briskly.

Jason sat still for a moment. He had felt rather bold last night when he had initiated the kiss to Rob, but that was because of the alcohol. He didn't feel so bold right now, but he did want Rob to know that he didn't regret any of it, even if Rob did.

"But...but what if I WANT it to happen again?" he asked.

"No. It can't. I'm sorry, Jay. It just can't," was the matter-of-fact reply.

Rob then turned around on his seat and started the speedboat up again, silently indicating that would be the end of the discussion. Any attempt by either Jason or Corey to bring it up again during their stay at the beach house would be immediately shut down. Rob made the rules at home, _and_ at the beach house. The discussion was closed.


	22. A Confession in the Rain

Jason entered the apartment, kicked off his sneakers by the closet and tossed his bookbag onto the floor. As he looked up he noticed Corey was home as well, lying on the bed and listening to music through his phone.

"You're home? Good. I want to talk to you," Jason stated.

"About what?" Corey replied as he removed the earbuds from his ears and set his phone down. He patted the bed to indicate he wanted Jason to lie down beside him, which he did.

"This summer. The beach house. Has Rob said anything to you about it?" Jason began. "He won't talk to me and it's been over a month now. Things have just been so awkward."

"Well, to be honest, Rob hasn't said too much to me either. Just that we shouldn't have done it and that it can't happen again. I think he feels like we took advantage of you in some way."

Jason leaned up on one elbow. "But that's not true! I'd been wanting for something to happen for a really long time."

Corey rolled onto his side so he could look at Jason eye-to-eye. "Really? Okay, tell me the truth. You have feelings for Rob, don't you? It's okay if you do, I won't get mad. I just want to know the truth."

Jason paused for a moment. Corey only had half of the story correct. He had been living with this secret for long enough and it was time Corey knew everything.

"Yeah, I do. But...well...it didn't start out that way. To be honest, I actually had feelings for you first. It was about a week or so after you brought me here. You were just so nice to me. You made me laugh, you made me feel like you really wanted me here and I just thought you were...um...you know... really good looking." Corey smiled at the compliment. "But Rob - he didn't want me here and I knew that. I wasn't really comfortable around him, not for quite a while. But then...I'm not sure when it happened exactly, but after a while, I began to see that there was so more to him than just his tough exterior."

Corey smiled and nodded. "Not too many people get to see that side of him. He doesn't let anybody in. Aside from me, you're the only one."

"Do you remember when I was in the hospital?" Jason continued. "That first night when they kept me in the recovery room and let you guys spend the night with me? Well, I kept waking up. And whenever I did, you were asleep in your chair, but Rob - he was wide awake. Every time I opened my eyes he would be staring back at me. Almost like he was on guard and making sure I was okay. He would lean forward and hold my hand, and say 'It's okay, go back to sleep.' I think it was then that...you know, my feelings really started to change. I was still really attracted to you, but all of a sudden I was attracted to him too - both of you at the same time. You probably think I'm completely crazy, but does that make any sense?"

"Sure it does," Corey replied softly. It made perfect sense because Corey had felt his feelings changing for Jason as well over the past several months. There was something undeniable happening between the three of them when they were together and it had been getting more obvious as the months had gone one.

Jason sighed before continuing. "I tried being with girls to make it go away, but it didn't. And it's not that I don't like girls, cuz I do. I like Ashley. She's pretty and we get along, but...but there's just something missing when I'm with her."

"A penis," Corey stated matter-of-factly.

"Huh?"

"She doesn't have a penis. That's what missing," Corey smiled.

"No, no that's not it," Jason smiled, and then turned serious again. "It's something deeper than that. I love you, Cor. And...and I love Rob too. I'm really sorry, but you need to know."

"No, don't be sorry. If I'm being totally honest with myself, I love you too. Have for a while I guess."

Deciding it was time to come clean on everything, Jason continued. "You don't know this, but I heard what you asked Rob that night - it was months ago. But I went in to take a shower and you thought I couldn't hear, but I did."

Corey furrowed his brow, trying to recall what conservation Jason was talking about. "What did I ask him? I don't remember."

"You kind of implied that you wanted to have a threesome...with me. Do you remember that?" Jason asked.

Corey nodded his head as he recalled it. "Yeah, yeah, I remember that now. You heard that, huh?" he laughed lightly, slightly embarrassed.

"Yes. I heard it," Jason nodded. "And I want you know that I would have said yes... if you'd asked."

Corey reached out and placed his hand behind Jason's neck, pulling him forward so he could kiss him. And this time the kiss was very different - it wasn't awkward like the first time, and it wasn't a hazy, alcohol-induced kiss like at the beach house. It was an honest and true kiss that showed Jason exactly how much Corey truly cared about him.

"You know we have to tell Rob about this," Corey said softly as he removed his lips from his roommate.

Jason shook his head with worry. "Rob will make me leave if he finds out. He'll be so angry."

"He'll probably be a little angry at first because, well, just because he's Rob," Corey chuckled. "But we have to tell him. I know he cares about you - he's not gonna throw you out. I think he cares about you more than you even realize."

For the next few hours Jason paced around the apartment, mentally rehearsing a monologue of what he was going to say. As he heard the key in the lock turn and the door open, everything he had rehearsed to memory simply went out the window as Rob entered the apartment.

Rob looked at the two of them who were standing completely still and just staring at him, which was rather unusual. He sensed something was up immediately. "What's going on?" he asked.

Corey nudged Jason a little from behind, indicating he needed to speak. "It's okay," he whispered. "I got your back."

A scowl formed across Rob's face as he realized the two were clearly in cahoots with each other. "All right, what is it? Tell me now," he stated, beginning to lose patience.

Jason stammered as he began. "Well...um...it's like this." He glanced over to make sure Corey was still beside him to support him. "There's something I need to tell you...something I've been wanting to tell you for a while...and I know you're gonna be mad at me but...um...uh..."

"Oh for Christ's sake! Spit it out!" Rob raised his voice, the not-knowing driving him to the point of insanity. "Did you fail a class? Get a detention? What the hell did you do?!"

"Oh no, nothing like that. It's not something I did. It's...um..." Jason's breath quickened as he knew he had to say the words, but was deathly afraid of the consequences. Corey stepped a little closer to him and took his hand in his own. And with that little bit of extra confidence, Jason blurted it out - "I love you!"

Rob blinked a few times as he processed it. When he didn't offer any reply, Jason took a deep breath and continued on at a fast rate of speed, slurring his words together to ensure he got them all out before Rob could cut him off.

"I love you and I love Corey too. I love both of you! I have for a while now. And I know you don't want to talk about it, but I'm glad about what happened at the beach house. I'd been hoping for so long for something like that to happen and..." Jason stopped to catch his breath. "...and I just need for you to know all of that because I love you!"

Rob looked at the two of them, hand in hand, with Corey seemingly quite comfortable with everything that Jason had just said. Rob had always suspected there were some feelings between the two. And even though his own feelings for Jason had become stronger over time, he and Corey were in a relationship and there were certain things you just don't do when you are committed to somebody else.

Rob shook his head as Jason's words swirled around in his head. "No...no, you don't love me. You just THINK you love me."

Jason shook his head no, but Rob continued on. "Jason, look. I took you in off the streets - I put a roof over your head - kept you fed and safe - took care of you when you were sick. So yeah, maybe you love me in some sense, but it's not the way you think."

Having been silent for long enough, Corey jumped in to Jason's aid. "I know you have feelings for him Rob. I see the way you interact with him. I see the way you look at him...it's the same way you look at me sometimes. And it's okay! If we're both completely honest, I think we both love him. Right?"

"No, no, no," Rob mumbled as he ran his hand across the side of his face. Sure, if he was completely honest with himself he did have feelings for the kid, but Jason was too young and he was already in a relationship with Corey. Nothing could be done about it - and yet the other two seemed to be asking for something from him. Something that he simply could not give.

"It's okay, Rob. It's okay to admit that you love him," Corey continued. "Because I do too. Jason's easy to love."

Rob's mouth was ajar, completely surprised to hear Corey echoing Jason's feelings. "You're both completely insane! You both need to be committed to the nearest lunatic asylum! This conversation is done!" and he turned on his heel to exit the apartment.

"NO!" Jason shouted, causing Rob to freeze in his tracks. "You can't just decide when we're done talking because that's not fair!" Rob turned around slowly, glaring at Jason as he did so. There were rules and boundaries in the apartment and Jason had clearly crossed them. The apartment was Rob's and if there one thing that he demanded, it was respect - from both of them.

Corey squeezed Jason's hand a little tighter. Jason's voice was smaller and softer when he spoke this time. "I just mean, it's not fair to us. We just want to talk to you, that's all. Please don't shut us out. This is important."

"There's nothing more to say," Rob replied coldly.

"I want to ask you one question. Will you promise to tell me the truth?" Jason asked.

"What is it?"

"Do you love me? Even just a little? I know you'll never love me the way you love Corey, but...do you love me just the tiniest bit at all?"

Rob's eyes shifted nervously from Jason to Corey and back again. What kind of trick question was that anyway? How could he possibly love Jason when he loved Corey? And even if he did, wouldn't admitting that hurt Corey's feelings? There was no way that question could, or should be answered. Rob shook his head in the negative and looked down at the floor.

Jason bit hard on his lip, shattered at the reply he had just received. But he had asked Rob to be completely honest, and if that was the way things truly were, then he wasn't going to push it any further. He let go of Corey's hand, slowly walked toward the closet, put his sneakers on and pulled out a duffle bag which he placed on the bed. He then began to remove his clothing from the bureau that he shared with Corey and placed the items inside of it.

Corey rushed forward toward him. "What are you doing? Stop!"

"I'm leaving. I can't stay here anymore," Jason sniffled. "I've fucked things up long enough between you two - I don't want to fuck things up anymore."

"But you have nowhere to go," Corey protested as he tried to stop Jason from filling the bag. "Stop! Don't do this."

Jason shoved the last of his clothing into the bag and zipped it up. As he slung it over his shoulder, Rob stepped forward and placed his hands on Jason's chest to halt him. "You're not going anywhere - it's dark out," he stated. Jason tried to push past him, but Rob was far stronger and was able to hold him back.

"Let me go," Jason pleaded, his eyes stinging.

"No!" Rob replied in a raised voice. "I'm not gonna let you just wander the streets at this time of night. There's nothing but drug dealers, pimps and gang bangers out now."

"What the hell do you care?!" Jason shouted through tears. "You don't love me anyway, so what the fuck do you care?!"

"He DOES love you Jay," Corey shouted. "He does! He just can't tell you!"

"He can't even tell YOU he loves you, Cor. I don't know what the hell I expected," Jason cried out as he again tried to push past Rob so he could get to the door. Rob was beyond agitated at this point and harshly grabbed the duffel bag off of his shoulder and threw it halfway across the room.

"You're NOT going anywhere!" Rob screamed as he grabbed him by the arms and Corey held him about the waist. And although Rob was far stronger, Jason's advantage was that he was small and flexible, which worked to his benefit as he was eventually able to wriggle out of Rob and Corey's stronghold and made a mad dash to the door. It had all happened so fast the other two were left stunned for a moment.

"Fuck! Come on! We need to catch him and bring him home," Rob yelled. As the two exited the apartment they could hear the front door of the building slam from three flights down. Jason had already created a huge head start on them. They sprinted down the three flights as fast as they could and ran out into the night. As they got to the sidewalk, they stopped for a second to get their bearings. It was almost 10:00 p.m., completely dark and, just to make matters worse, it was pouring rain. They looked right and left, trying to see which direction Jason had dashed off in.

"There!" Corey yelled and pointed. "He went that way!" The two took off and began to run toward the south side of town. Not that there was a _good_ side of this city, but if there was it certainly wouldn't be the south. It was questionably safe during the daylight and it most certainly not safe after dark.

Up ahead, Jason saw a set of headlights coming but sprinted across the busy street anyway, causing the car to slam their breaks on hard. He heard the tires screech just inches behind him and obscenities yelled out of the car window, but he never turned around to acknowledge it. He just kept running. He had the slight advantage of speed over Rob and Corey, but he was only a few yards ahead and stopping for a car would have given them all the time they needed to catch up.

"Shit!" Rob hollered as he saw the car narrowly miss hitting Jason. The rain was pouring down and running into their eyes making it nearly impossible to see more than a few feet in front of them. If they lost sight of him, there was no telling where he might end up or what might happen to him.

Jason slowed down for just a millisecond to get his bearings. He wasn't exactly sure where he was or where he wanted to go, he only knew that he wanted to get away from them. He needed to be alone - to be able to think and figure out what his next move would be. He was hurt, embarrassed and angry and all he wanted to do was get away from it all. He could see an abandoned building about two blocks away and made a mad dash towards it. He cut through what looked to be an old playground or field of some sort and as he was beginning to gain some ground and distance on Rob and Corey, he suddenly slid on the wet, muddy grass and fell forward on his stomach. He scrambled back to his feet as quickly as he could and continued on, knowing he had lost time.

As Jason came upon the building he could see that it was surrounded by a chain-link fence. It wasn't particularly high though and he knew he could scale it. When he got to within a few feet of it he hurled himself forward as hard and fast as he could and latched onto it. He pulled and scrambled himself up and just as he was almost to the top, he felt his right foot being tugged on. He tried to recoil his leg, but he was physically exhausted at this point and out of breath. He began to lose his grip on the wet fence and felt himself being pulled down and as soon as his feet hit the ground he was spun around and physically pushed up against the fence. He instinctively raised his hands to protect his face, but no blow ever came. He opened his eyes and stared into Rob's. Rob's face was panic-stricken and his eyes had a look of fear that Jason had never seen in them before. He was panting and winded and so was Corey who was standing beside him, bent over and coughing while trying to catch his breath, all the while the rain continuing to pound down on them.

Giving Jason's body a rough shake, Rob shouted at him "Don't you ever fucking do that again!" He removed his grip on Jason's arms and grabbed his face tightly, forcing Jason to look up at him. "I love you! Do you hear me? I DO love you!"

Corey's jaw opened as he stepped in closer, not sure he was hearing correctly. "I love you Jason and I love you too," he said as he turned to look directly at Corey. "I'm sorry I don't tell you enough how much I love you Corey, but I do. You mean everything to me. I know I don't deserve you, and I sure as hell don't do a good enough job at making sure you feel loved, but I swear to God that I do. You gave up everything to live with me in this shit-hole of a city and I've never once thanked you. I'm so sorry!" Corey nodded, his eyes welling with tears at the emotional breakthrough Rob had just had.

Rob then turned his gaze back toward Jason who was staring up at him with huge blue eyes, his wet hair stuck to his face. "And you....I don't know how it happened, or when, or even why...but somewhere along the way you took a piece of my heart too. And I DO love you. I love you so much."

Jason felt his knees beginning to give out on him, the emotions of the day having gotten the better of him, and he began to sob. He sunk down onto the muddy ground, his back still pressed up against the fence, and put his head in his hands. Rob and Corey fell to their knees beside him, with Rob grabbing Jason in one arm and Corey in the other, holding each of them close. Jason grabbed a fistful of Rob's wet shirt, not wanting to ever let it go, and buried his face into his chest.

"I'm so sorry. You two deserve so much better than me," Rob whispered in their ears.

Holding on to him tightly, Corey whispered, "We both love you Rob. Why is that so hard for you to believe?"

In the distance they could hear police sirens wailing. They were in a dangerous part of town and Rob knew he had to get them all home. They were all soaked to the bone and cold. He grabbed each of them and helped them up and they proceeded to walk back to the apartment in silence.

Back at the apartment, they removed their soaking wet and muddy clothes and put on dry sleeping pants. Corey grabbed a towel from the bathroom and passed it around so they could remove the excess wetness from their hair. Only then did Rob speak.

"I need some time to process all this. Give me a few days, okay?" The two nodded their understanding. They were certainly asking a lot of him and they understood that this was something they would all need time to figure out.

"Can I sleep in the bed tonight?" Jason asked, still shivering a bit. "Just to sleep - that's all."

Rob nodded and the three crawled into bed, with Jason getting himself in the middle. He laid on his side facing Corey, who smiled at him. Jason felt Rob enter the bed and move in close behind him, pulling the covers up as he did so to ensure that both of them would be warm. They were all emotionally exhausted and still damp and cold. Rob reached his arm around Jason's waist and held him close. Jason began to drift off to sleep, nose-to-nose with Corey, and with Rob's arm tightly around his waist. If there was any such thing as heaven on earth, Jason had found it.


	23. Apartment Meeting

It had been three days - three long days since Rob had told Jason that he loved him. And while Jason had agreed to give him time to process everything, it was becoming increasingly difficult. The not-knowing, the waiting, the uncertainty of everything was becoming unbearable.

Jason sat at the kitchen table only half-focusing on his homework, while Corey puttered around in the kitchen area as he finished preparing dinner. A vibration came from Corey's cell phone. He picked it up and read the text out loud to Jason. "It's from Rob. It says _'Got held up at work. On my way home now. Apartment meeting tonight'_."

Jason nodded, knowing full well what the meeting would be about. Usually it had to do with bills or rules or whatever annoyance was on Rob's mind at the moment, but he knew that tonight's discussion would be about something else, which made him both relieved and anxious at the same time.

Once Rob had returned home for the evening and they had gotten through a relatively silent dinner, he asked the two of them to move into the living area so they could talk, with Rob taking the center spot on the couch so he could talk to both of them as he needed to. Jason and Corey sat on either side of him, eagerly waiting to see what he had to say about how things would, or would not, play out.

As he prepared himself for the discussion, Rob exhaled and ran his left hand anxiously through his hair. As he did so, it was visible that his forefinger it had been bandaged and wrapped with gauze and surgical tape.

"What the hell happened?" Corey asked.

"Huh? Oh this?" Rob remarked, having already forgotten about the incident. "It was nothing. I'm fine. It just needed a few stitches."

"Stitches?" Jason exclaimed, eyes wide with surprise.

"Yeah, it's nothing though," Rob stated. "It's just that my mind hasn't been focused on work these past few days like it should be. I just kind of zoned off for a second while I was cutting some 2 by 4's and the next thing I knew - I had sliced my finger in half," he laughed lightly. "Totally my fault, I wasn't paying attention. I wasn't even going to go to the emergency room, but my foreman saw the blood all over the place and forced me to. Something to do with Workers' Comp shit," he grumbled under his breath.

Corey leaned in to examine the bandaged finger. "You should have called us. We would have driven you to the hospital."

Rob scoffed. "And do what? Hold my hand while I got stitches? Nah, it's fine. I went right back to work after they stitched me up. But obviously," he sighed, "I've got too much on my mind right now to stay focused and safe at work, and that's a problem. A big problem. The next time I might lose an arm, so I really need to talk to both of you so we can sort all of this out...if that's even possible."

"I'm sorry," Jason stated sheepishly. "I'm sorry if I've made you lose focus at work." The last thing he ever intended to do was create more problems or stress for Rob or Corey, or for anybody to lose an appendage in the process.

Rob smiled as he took his hand and ruffled Jason's hair lightly. "Nah, it's not your fault. But I guess what I need to know is, what is it you both want exactly?" He turned to face Jason first. "If you had a magic wand that you could wave around and make your life exactly the way you wanted it, what would that look like?"

Jason thought for a moment. "I guess...I guess I'd want to know that you both love me...and both want me...and that I could be a part of what you already have. I want to sleep in the same bed as you every night...I want...," he paused and looked at Rob directly in the eye. "I want to be your second boyfriend," he finished softly, but confidently as well.

Rob smiled gently at him. He then turned to Corey. "And what about you, Cor?"

"The same. I want the same thing. I love both of you and I want us to all be together."

Rob exhaled deeply. "I just don't know. I mean, I don't know how that's even possible. For each of us to have TWO boyfriends? It doesn't even make sense. How do you even do that?"

"It's called polyamory," Corey jumped in. "And it's a real thing. It just means loving more than one person at a time. And that's completely us. And there actually ARE people who are successful at it."

Rob scoffed a little at the thought.

"No really, Rob. I'm not saying it's common or that it would be easy for us, because I know it wouldn't be. But I think for us, because we're all so close anyway, I think it just might work."

"I'm 22 years old, Corey. He's 17. That's a problem - a big one."

"I'm not a baby," Jason interjected.

"Yeah, he's not even a virgin anymore," Corey piped in.

"You're still a kid Jason, whether you want to admit it or not," Rob stated. "You're naïve and you're still just a kid."

"I'll be 18 before too long," Jason stated quietly. He didn't want to have to wait that long, but he would be willing to if that was the only sticking point to preventing things from moving forward.

"Look," Rob began again. "Even if we waited until you're 18 so I don't have to worry about being arrested or thrown in jail, there's still a shitload of other things that are stacked up against us. You guys realize that, don't you? Just for starters, Corey - you're immature. You know that. So how do you propose we do something like this? How do we handle this type of a relationship where a certain level of maturity is gonna be required? I mean, if you came home from work some night and me and Jason were....well, you know...in bed let's just say, don't tell me you wouldn't flip out and get mad or jealous."

Corey thought about the suggested scenario. "That would be hard, yeah. I'm not gonna lie. I'm used to having you all to myself and I'd have to accept the whole concept of sharing you with somebody else. I guess we'd need to all agree on those things ahead of time, right? Establish some sort of ground rules - do's and don't's, you know? We'd all have to be on the same page and agree on what's allowed and what's not."

Rob nodded. "And it would have to be a closed relationship between us - closed, exclusive and committed between the three of us and nobody else. I'm not interested in it being anything other than that. So Jay, if we did this, you wouldn't be able to see Ashley anymore - or anybody else for that matter. Are you sure you're willing to do that?"

Jason smiled. "That's exactly what I want. I don't WANT to be with anybody else but you two."

Rob looked at Jason for a moment. He was so beautiful and clearly loved him and Corey, and yet he was so young and naive at the same time. He questioned whether or not Jason fully understood the scope of what he was asking and getting himself into. Relationships, even monogamous ones, were difficult and Jason had very little experience with that even. "I think, when it comes to you Jay," Rob continued, "I think that you need to spend some one-on-one time with each of us alone before things go any further."

"Like going out on a date? With each of you?"

"Yeah, like a date. That's something me and Corey did before we ever slept together. If you got some alone time with me _and_ some alone time with Corey...I think that would be good. It would give you some..." Rob paused to think of the right word. "Perspective. It would give you some perspective on how things MIGHT be, if we ever get to that next level."

Jason smiled at the idea proposed. It sounded perfect to him - time alone with Corey, and time alone with Rob. It would even the playing field a bit and make Jason feel like he was just as important and involved in the relationship as they were.

Rob continued. "But I really think we should wait a bit before even thinking about it becoming sexual. Let's just take this all really slow and see where it goes for a few weeks before we just jump into bed and everything blows up in our face. In the meantime, you might even end up changing your mind along the way Jay, which would be okay too. And it will give all of us a little more time while you're getting closer to turning 18."

Corey frowned a little. They had all been living together for about a year at this point. It's not like the three of them didn't know each other by now. But he understood why Rob wanted to take it slow. Corey knew he was impulsive and impatient; Rob was methodical.

"What do you think about all of that, Corey?" Rob asked.

Corey scratched his head as he pondered the question. "Yeah, I get what you're saying. I think the on-on-one time is a good idea and planning out some date nights. And in between that, we could still be doing things together as three. I guess the only issue I have is why we have to take sex off the table for so long."

"Because there's a lot to talk about before that ever happens," Rob replied. "Down the road a bit, if we get to that point, how are the three of us going to handle sex? If there are only two of us at home, is it fair game? Or is that not allowed until the third person comes home? These are the kind of things that we need to be really clear on from the very beginning so we all have the same expectations. What do you think about that, Jay?"

Jason pondered the question. "I think it's important that you and Corey still get to have your time together. You've been together longer than you've even known me. So, I'd be okay with the two of you still being intimate if I wasn't home. It's only fair. I wouldn't be hurt by that."

Rob asked his next question. "And if you were home alone with just one of us? Let's say either Corey or I were working late for some reason. Would you be open to being with just one of us? Or would you only be comfortable if it was both of us?"

Jason only needed a millisecond to consider the question. "I'd really like to have intimate alone time with each of you because I love you both."

"I'd be okay with that too," Corey inserted. "I mean, if the third person was going to be home any minute, then it would be wrong not to wait for him. But if two of us - any combination of two - are home and want to jump into bed and do something, I think it makes sense to allow that."

Rob nodded in agreement. Realistically, he knew it would be next to impossible to not have that happen once things turned sexual. There would be occasions when only two of them would be present at a time and it seemed to make sense to allow that option - especially if they were already being intimate together as three.

"It would be hard," Corey stated, "knowing that the two of you are home alone together and I'm stuck at work or something. But I'm pretty sure I could handle it. It will just take some time, that's all."

Rob smiled at him, happy that Corey was actually giving this some serious thought to the matter and not just expecting everything to be a piece of cake.

"Here's a concern I have," Rob continued. "You and I have never had sex, Jason. A blowjob is a little different and it doesn’t really count. You're still kind of inexperienced and it's just that...I'm kind of...I'm kind of a control freak in bed. Corey's used to it. But I'm really not sure if you're fully prepared to handle that or know what you're getting into. I'm always a top."

"A top? Does that mean you outrank us? Like a hierarchy?"

Rob chuckled a little under his breath. "Well, that almost makes it sound like a bad thing - like I'm a dictator or something. Let's just say it's the way me and Corey's relationship is structured. I don't control Corey out of bed...I've never told him what he can and can't do...but IN bed, now that's a different story. I call the shots - always." He stared at Jason matter-of-factly, wanting to be sure that he had made his point and there would be no misunderstanding down the road.

"You'd just have to be submissive," Corey clarified. “Rob is...well, he’s an Alpha male if you know what I mean? So what he's saying is, you would have to be comfortable with being passive. Rob’s the boss. He’s in control. And then I’m next. So you would really have to be comfortable being submissive to Rob... and me," he finished with a little smirk.

Submissive. Yes, that pretty much summed Jason up in one word. He couldn’t argue with them on that. And being the least experienced he certainly wasn’t going to be calling the shots, nor did he want to. Jason let the idea sink into his brain a little. The thought of both of them guiding him along and taking control was alluring and made him feel like he would be taken care of.

Jason nodded. "Yeah. I could do that. Be submissive I mean," he smiled. "I think I'd like that."

Rob placed his hands on his thighs and exhaled, feeling that they had covered a lot, but still not fully certain things would go as smoothly as they had hoped. "There's going to need to be a huge amount of compromise, you both know that, right? Compromise and talking things out, dividing our time equally between another person - if that's even possible. Nobody can be flying off the handle with getting jealous or selfish or this will never, EVER work. I don't want either one of you to get hurt - but I don't want to get hurt either."

"We can make this work, Rob. I know we can," Corey pleaded.

Rob sighed, leaned his head back on the couch and pulled each one of them in close to his chest. "My life has sucked from day one. I never thought I'd find somebody who loved me, so when I found you Cor, I vowed I would never fuck it up. And now I find out that there are two of you that love me. Why you do, I don't know - I certainly don't deserve it. I don't even know how to handle that and I certainly don't know how I'm going to make sure you're both always happy. I just feel like I have a lot to lose if this doesn't work.  We all do."

Jason and Corey both snuggled in tightly under each of Rob's arm.

"I know we can do this. It won't be easy, but we can do it. I love you guys," Corey whispered into Rob's chest while he reached over to touch Jason's arm so he could touch both of them at once. "We're gonna make this work."


	24. The Book Club

Corey placed a bookmark at the end of Chapter 7 and laid the paperback down on the coffee table. Reading was never his thing, and this new "required" reading from Rob was a downright drag. Rob had come home with a few books he had found on polyamory and had made up a schedule whereby they would pass the books around amongst themselves, making sure each of them got through the required number of chapters for that week. Then they would sit down and "discuss" the book on Sunday.

Corey had taken immediate offense at the dreaded "book club," as he sarcastically referred to it. It seemed beyond stupid to him. He wasn't against perusing through a book, but to have to read one from cover to cover about somebody else's polyamorous relationship and then compare it to theirs seemed tedious and a complete waste of time. Jason on the other hand had been far more eager to comply. In fact he had already read a few additional chapters ahead of what was required. Being the last one into this triad, he felt he had to work the hardest to make it a success.

Corey looked at the time. Rob had run to the store and would be home any minute for their scheduled book meeting. He walked over to the kitchen and put some water on the stove to boil. He then opened the refrigerator to remove a platter of tiny finger sandwiches he had made with the crusts cut off. He laughed to himself as he removed the plastic wrap from them.

As Rob came through the door, Corey carried the tray of sandwiches over to the coffee table and set them down. "Tea will be served momentarily," he said in his best snooty butler's voice.

"What's all this?" Rob asked, looking skeptical at the odd-looking sandwiches.

"They're fancy finger sandwiches. The kind old ladies like to eat when they get together to meet and cackle about a book they're all reading," Corey stated snidely.

Rob gave him a glare and sat down on the couch. He picked up one of the sandwiches and gave it a suspicious sniff. "What is this, anyway?" he asked as he popped it in his mouth.

"Cucumber, cream cheese and dill," Corey stated. "Very hoity-toity, but perfect for our book meeting."

"Not bad!" Rob said with some surprise.

"Yuck!" Jason frowned as he joined them in the living area. "What are those ones?" Jason pointed to the other side of the platter which held a different looking sandwich.

Corey grinned widely. "PB&J. I just cut them real fancy with a cookie-cutter and removed the crust."

Jason laughed and grabbed a handful of those. That was more his speed anymore. Corey then poured three mugs of tea and brought them over the coffee table as well. Even though none of them particularly cared for tea, it seemed to go with the finger sandwich theme - and Corey was trying his darndest to make a point that this was all nonsense anyway.

"Although I respect your healthy disdain for having to read anything other than a comic book, I think this is important for us," Rob stated sarcastically. "It gives us a chance to read about other people's relationships and see what works for them. It might help us avoid some pitfalls."

Corey groaned and sighed as he sat down and took a slurp of his tea. For the most part he simply listened to Rob and Jason talk about different topics touched upon in the book. Here and there Corey would chime in, but to him it made more sense to just focus on their own relationship. Their relationship was unique and what worked for the authors of these books might not necessarily work for them.

When the meeting had come to an end and most of the finger sandwiches had been consumed, Rob changed the topic of conversation. "So, are you two still going out tonight?" he asked.

Corey's face lit up. He had almost forgotten. In his frustration of trying to derail the book club he had completely forgotten that he and Jason were having their first actuate date night tonight.  "That's right - I almost forgot!" he laughed. "Well, it looks like I've already fed you, Jay. So at least I don't have to buy you dinner."

"Awwww...what a cheap date!" Jason teased. "What are we gonna do?"

"It's a surprise. You'll see," Corey replied with a grin.

"Well, have a good time," Rob stated as the other two grabbed their jackets. "Call me if you're gonna be late. Drive slow Corey and..."

"Okay, Grandma. Geez!" Corey called as he and Jason left the apartment.

Rob exhaled deeply as they exited the apartment. This was unbearably difficult - to watch your boyfriend head out the door with his new boyfriend and leave you behind. Of course he knew that Jason was _his_ new boyfriend as well, but tonight was their night together. This wasn't going to be easy and it was definitely going to take some getting used to. Hopefully they had made the right decision.


	25. A Night With Corey

Jason stood beside Corey in the dimly lit house, grateful for the arm that was wrapped tightly around his waist. The plan had originally been to go rock wall climbing together as Jason had been wanting to do that for a while now, but a friend of Corey's had invited him to a house party at the last minute, so they had switched gears and decided to do that instead. 

Jason felt a little unsure of himself in such a large crowd of strangers. And although Corey had politely introduced him to every person they came in contact with, Jason hadn't remembered many of their names. There were simply too many of them and it was hard to hear the introductions with the stereo system blaring anyway. They were mainly Corey's old high school friends and although everybody had been very welcoming, his biggest concern was that Corey would become absent-minded, as he was prone to do, and take off somewhere, leaving him all alone. But to Jason's surprise, Corey had remained stuck to him like glue, which he very much appreciated. 

As another group of people entered the already crowded house, Corey called out and waved to a girl that he recognized. As she approached, Corey gave her a hug and then stepped back and gestured to Jason. "This is my boyfriend, Jason." The girl smiled and said hello, but Jason noticed a flash of confusion on her face for a moment. "Oh, I'm sorry - for some reason I thought your boyfriend's name was Rob," she said as she turned back to Corey. She had never met Rob, but Corey talked about him all the time to his friends. 

"Oh, I'm still dating Rob," Corey said straightforwardly. 

The girl's face was perplexed. "You're dating Rob and him at the same time?" she stated as she glanced warily at Jason, wondering if he had known this bit of information already, or if this was going to cause some sort of blow-out that she would feel partially responsible for by putting her foot in her mouth. 

"Yep. There's three of us. Tonight's just a one-on-one night for us two. But I'm still very much with Rob too. And so is he," he nodded in Jason's direction.

"You're kidding me, Corey! Come on!" the girl laughed out loud as she was completely positive he was pulling her leg. Corey joked so often that sometimes even his own friends weren't sure when he was being truthful or pulling a gag, but as Corey very matter-of-factly explained the situation, she slowly began to realize that he was 100% telling her the truth. She asked several questions about their arrangement, many of which were questions they had already asked themselves when starting this relationship, and Corey answered each and every one as simply and honestly as he could. By the end of the conversation she seemed to understand the situation pretty well. As different people joined in the conversation, Corey had to backtrack and explain their thruple situation again and again. And for the most part, although his friends were slightly taken aback at first, by the time Corey had finished his explanation they all seemed to be rather accepting of it. They joked among themselves that Corey had always been a little different than the rest of them, so that if anybody were to get themselves involved in a threesome, it wasn't such a big leap of faith that it would be the crazy Corey they all knew and loved. 

After the last of Corey's friends had excused themselves to grab a drink and they were alone again, Jason stated "You're friends are all pretty....ummm...accepting," as he took a moment to find the right word. 

"Yup. They are. That's why they're my friends! When I decided that I was just gonna be honest with everybody, I told them all that I was gay - and I was really happy at the reaction I got from them. I think a few of them had figured it out anyway, but I had already decided that if anyone had a problem with who I want to date or how I choose to live my life, then they were never really my friend to begin with." 

Jason nodded. It was always nice spending time with Corey as he was comfortable with himself. Rob, on the other hand, always seemed on guard and kept his personal life close to the vest, not disclosing too much of his past to either of them. He could never imagine Rob introducing him as his boyfriend at a party in the same casual manner that Corey did. Hell, Rob wasn't even comfortable enough to tell his co-workers about his relationship with Corey, much less with Jason. 

Corey nudged him to have a seat on one of the couches. Most of the people were drinking, but Corey had politely refused every offer of a beer or a shot that came his way. Coming home with alcohol on his breath wouldn't go over well with Rob, especially where he was in charge of driving Jason around this evening. 

As they sat down, Corey pulled Jason in a little closer. The room was quite dark, the music was loud, and he wanted nothing more than to spend a few alone moments with his newest boyfriend. As Corey pulled him in for a kiss, Jason glanced around the room self-consciously, but everybody was either busy making out themselves or involved in a conversation. Feeling better that they weren't simply on display, Jason relaxed and allowed Corey to love him with his tongue and mouth and within a few moments he had completely forgotten about the several dozen people milling about. 

It was so easy to get caught up in Corey. He was handsome, funny, caring, and charismatic. Jason had loved him from early on and a part of him wanted to pinch himself to make sure this was all really happening and not just one of his fantasy dreams that he often had. He felt the pressure of Corey's fingers on his sides and he knew that it was real and not a dream. Jason allowed himself to press in to Corey's body as much as he could. 

"Hey! You two want a room!?" a voice shouted over the loud music. Jason broke the kiss and looked up to see one of Corey's friends standing over them and laughing good naturedly at the two of them. Jason felt his cheeks blush a bit, but he knew nobody would be able to see it in the dim light. Corey simply laughed it off, as not much ever seemed to bother him. 

Feeling that they had hung out at the party long enough, Corey stood up and exchanged several goodbyes to various friends that they passed on their way to and out the front door. "So, what do you think of my friends?" he asked as they exited the house and walked down the driveway to his car. 

"I liked them - a lot," Jason stated as he shivered a little in the cool evening air. 

"You cold?" Corey asked. 

"Yeah. I forgot to grab my sweatshirt before we left the apartment."

"We're not too far from my parents' house. I can swing by there and grab you one." 

A few minutes later they pulled into the driveway of Corey's childhood home. As they entered the house, they noticed Corey's dad sound asleep in the recliner. They tip-toed quietly past him and up the stairs to Corey's bedroom. As Corey began to rummage around through his bureau drawers, his mother came down the hall and poked her head in the bedroom. She was dressed in her scrubs, having just gotten home herself. 

"Oh, hi dear! I just got home from work. What are you boys doing here?" she asked as she stepped in to kiss Corey. Jason felt a small twinge of jealousy at the loving gesture, but he attempted to squash it as soon as it had emerged. He knew it was wrong to be jealous, especially of somebody he loved so much. 

"Just grabbing Jason a sweatshirt, Mom," he replied.

Karen then turned to give Jason a kiss on the cheek as well, which produced a large smile from him. He loved how Karen had taken him in under her wing and doted on him when he was at their house. She was everything he wished his own mother had been. 

"Where on earth is Rob?" she then asked, rather surprised to not see him with Corey. "Is he okay?" 

Corey looked up at her, puzzled for a brief moment on how to best answer it. "Um...oh yeah, Rob's fine. Me and Jay are just hanging out tonight, that's all." Jason fought back a grin and looked down at the carpeting, knowing fully well they couldn't tell her they had been out on a date together. She probably wouldn't understand. 

"Oh good. Well, you boys have fun. I'm going to take a shower. Oh! Tell Rob that I'm making a roast next Sunday - so you boys can all come over if you'd like - about 6 o'clock." She then turned directly to Jason. "Brownies or ice cream for dessert, Dear?" she asked him with a smile. 

"Both?" Jason asked hopefully, causing Karen to laugh and nod her head yes as she headed out the door and down the hall towards the bathroom. 

Corey shook his head and chuckled under his breath as she left the room. He then pulled out a red Tommy Hilfiger sweatshirt and tossed it to Jason. "Here, you can keep this one if you want. I don't wear it anymore." 

"Wow!" Jason gasped as he put it on and zipped it up. "These are expensive! You sure?" 

Corey nodded and continued to go through the drawers to see if there was anything else he could give Jason as a hand-me-down. While waiting, Jason walked over to view some shelving on the wall that contained trophies and medals from Corey's high school days. There were various ones from lacrosse, baseball, track and field. There were awards and plaques hanging on the wall from different championships he had competed in and some newspaper clippings that his mom had made into a collage to remind him of all his success. Jason studied the mementos over carefully. His life had been so different growing up than Corey's. 

"You were so lucky," Jason said quietly under his breath, still staring at the collection of achievements. 

"Huh?" Corey replied as he turned around, another sweatshirt in his hand. 

"You were so lucky. All these trophies and stuff. All the teams you played on, all the tournaments you went to. All the places your parents traveled to so you could compete." Jason picked up a framed photo of Corey's soccer team in which he looked to be only about 7 or 8, complete with Corey's dad in the photo as the assistant coach. "Your dad even took the time to coach you?" he asked in slight disbelief under his breath. That feeling of envy returned just as it had when Corey's mom came in to kiss him. He hated feeling this way, but everything about Corey's life was a constant reminder of how fucked up and miserable his own had been. 

Corey avoided the question, knowing Jason didn't have the happy childhood memories that he had, and simply tossed another designer sweatshirt on the bed that he no longer wanted. He closed the bottom drawer of his bureau and as he rose to standing, his eyes fell upon his old X-Box. "Geez, I haven't played this thing in ages. Since I moved in with Rob at least. Santa brought this for me a few years ago!" he casually laughed as he brushed some dust off of the top of it. 

"Santa was never that good to me," Jason said softly as he placed the photo of Corey's soccer team back down on the shelf. "It's funny, but when I was little...I thought he just didn't like me." 

Corey swallowed hard. He had grown up privileged and very seldom had he ever considered that not everybody was as fortunate as he was. But it was in random moments such as these when he was reminded how very different his upbringing had been from Jason and Rob's. 

Corey walked over to Jason, put his hand on his shoulder and gently squeezed it. "Umm...you wanna play a game? I can teach you," he asked sheepishly. 

Jason smiled and nodded eagerly and sat down on the foot of the bed while Corey got the controllers ready and closed the bedroom door so they wouldn't wake his dad up with the noise from the TV. He spent a few minutes explaining what each button did and how to play the game and to Corey's surprise, Jason was a fast learner. By the end of an hour Jason was actually giving him a run for his money at his own game. 

"Shit! You catch on quick," Corey laughed, only winning the game by a few points. "We should probably get headed home though." 

"Yeah," Jason nodded as he rose to his feet and stretched, causing his newly acquired red hoody to rise up and expose the bare skin on his side. "Rob's probably wondering what we're doing." 

Corey's eyes took in the brief flash of skin before he replied. "Yeah. I'll text Rob and let him know we're on our way," he stated as he stood up as well and typed in a quick message on his phone. He then turned to Jason. "I really hope you had a good time tonight. I'm happy you wanted to meet my friends - that means a lot to me." 

"Oh yeah! I love spending time with you," Jason replied. "And it wouldn't have mattered what we did...we could have just sat on a curbstone and I still would have had a good time because...because I'd be with you!"

Corey smiled at him. They had been brought up so different - both Jason and Rob, and yet they seemed to have been made for each other despite the dissimilarities. He took his hand and placed it behind Jason's neck to pull him in for a kiss. Better to give him a goodnight kiss here than at the apartment, he thought. There was still an awkwardness at the newness of their relationship when the three of them were together as they were still trying to figure things out in these early stages. He then placed his hands on Jason's waist and, using his body weight, gently nudged him back a few paces until Jason's back was against the wall. He explored Jason's body with his hands a bit more intimately than he was able to politely do at the house party earlier. 

It was so different kissing Jason, he thought to himself. Rob always maintained control, but with Jason it was just the opposite. Jason held back and seemed to want to let Corey take the reins, and that suited Corey just fine. It was like having the best of both worlds having two boyfriends, each of whom were so very different from the other in personality. 

Only after several minutes had passed did they break the kiss, but their eyes still hanging on to each other's. Corey knew with his dad asleep downstairs and his mom most likely out of the shower by now that they wouldn't be able to go much further. Plus Rob was home and waiting for them. If he could just keep his libido in check until then, he knew Rob would make sure both he and Jason were taken care of one way or another once they were home. 

"Whoa, that was good," Corey huffed as he smiled. "You must be such a good kisser because I taught you everything you know," he laughed at his own joke. "But I think we gotta go though." 

Jason nodded and the two returned home, both feeling that their first date had been a success.


	26. A Night With Rob

Jason exited the bathroom, freshly showered and ready for his first real date night with Rob. It had been a few days since he had gone out with Corey and he had been looking forward to his turn with Rob.

"Whatcha looking at?" he asked Rob, who had blueprints of some sort spread across the kitchen table.

"My dream house," Rob replied with a smile. "Here, sit down. I'll show you," and he pushed a chair out for Jason to have a seat.

"Did you design this all by yourself?" Jason asked.

"Yep. It's all I've wanted for as long as I can remember. It's gonna be a Colonial and there will be three bedrooms, but I'm going to turn one bedroom into a weight room. This is the front door right here," he pointed at the blueprint. "The kitchen will be over here. This is the living room - probably with a fireplace. And right about here I want to put in a spiral staircase leading upstairs."

They heard a scoff coming from the couch. Corey had already put in his two cents worth about the spiral staircase, feeling it was far too pretentious, but Rob never paid him any mind. It was _his_  dream house and the spiral staircase wasn't negotiable.

Rob gave him a glare and then turned his focus back to the diagram of the house. "So yeah, this is where the spiral staircase will be and then there will be three bedrooms up on the second floor."

"Which room was gonna be mine?" Jason asked as he studied the floor plan carefully. "I mean before you let me sleep in the bed with you both? Which bedroom was gonna be mine?"

Rob was taken aback by the question, as Jason was never a consideration in the building of this house. He had begun to design it long before Jason ever arrived, and until recently he had assumed Jason would be long gone before he ever had the chance to lay down the first brick of the foundation. "Ummm...let, let me see..." Rob stammered as he thought. "This one," he stated as he pointed to one of the upstairs bedrooms. "This one would have been your room."

Jason smiled from ear to ear, not knowing that the room Rob pointed to had been originally designated as a guest room.

"Hey, would you like to see the land that I'm looking to buy?" Rob asked as he rolled the blueprints back up and secured them with an elastic. "It's a little bit of a drive though, so if you don't want to we can just..."

"No! I want to!" Jason interjected and jumped out of his seat excitedly. They were planning on seeing a movie tonight, but he would much rather see the land where Rob was hoping to build his dream house. "Let's do that instead!"

Rob smiled at his enthusiasm. "Okay. Let's go before it gets too dark and you can't see anything." They grabbed jackets, Jason choosing his newly acquired Tommy Hilfiger hoody, and each made a point to give Corey a hug and kiss before heading out the door. Rob was pretty sure he knew exactly what Corey was feeling being left home alone as he had experienced it firsthand a few nights prior.

Corey smiled at them awkwardly. "Have fun guys. And don't you worry a bit about me. I'll just be here...alone...all by myself...lonely....with nobody to talk to..." he carried on with his typical dramatic flair.

"Goodbye, Corey!" Rob chuckled as they exited the apartment. "You and I will go out next week, okay?" he called back to reassure him.

The lot of land they were going to see was all the way out in Middletown, but it was going to be perfect as far as Rob was concerned. It was far enough away from the inner city that they wouldn't need to worry about the level of crime and noise as they did now, but still close enough to major cities that he could get to and from different work sites as he needed to. It was a quiet, peaceful, sleepy town and it was exactly where he wanted to lay down roots.

"Can I change the radio station?" Jason asked about five minutes into the drive. He wrinkled his nose at the news that was coming through the speakers.

"Sure," Rob chuckled. "Put on whatever you want. Tonight is your night."

Jason changed the station to something more enjoyable and then sat back to take in the scenery. After about 30 minutes he could see a noticeable difference in the landscape. The high-rises and crumbing tenement buildings all disappeared and were replaced by mostly trees, scattered among beautiful well-kept houses - nothing at all like the homes that he was used to seeing or living in himself. He leaned forward in his seat and stared out the window, taking it all in.

Rob sideglanced at him from time to time, smiling to himself at how so little could amuse him. Jason was easy. Easy to make happy, easy to please. And in that respect he was a little different than Corey, who was a bit more high maintenance. Corey had seen it all and done it all, but Jason - Jason had done nothing in his young life. Everything was always a new experience for him.

Rob eventually pulled the car off to the side of a dirt road and turned the engine off. "We're here."

"Really?" Jason looked around. All he could see were a lot of trees, some of which had been cut down or cleared, and lots and lots of dirt, piles of rocks, and a few sporadic patches of grass here and there. It was hard for him to imagine where Rob's house would actually be.

"Come on. I'll show you," Rob stated as he got out of the car. "This whole area over here," he gestured with his arms, "is eventually going to be cleared of trees - about 50 acres or so. Then once that's done, it will be divided into one-acre sublots, which people can then purchase. Once I buy my lot, I can start building."

Jason nodded his head, beginning to understand how it would all work.

"So, there's no guarantee which lot I can get since nothing is for sale yet, but I'll show you what I'm _hoping_ to get." He took Jason by the elbow and guided him through a thicket of trees and bushes, stepping over downed branches and piles of rocks in the process. Eventually they came to a clearing and Jason could see a body of clear blue water in front of him.

"That's Crystal Lake," Rob pointed out to him. "And from this spot here, we would have a perfect view of it from the back of our house. I want to put a sliding glass door and deck right off the master bedroom, so when we wake up in the morning we can just step right outside and see the water and smell the fresh air. Well, in the nice weather, at least," he laughed as it was downright chilly at the moment. "You know, just sit out there by the lake, surrounded by the trees and the blue sky while we have coffee - just a perfect way to start the day. Yeah... I really want to get this parcel of land right here."

Jason looked at Rob and could see the faraway, dreamy expression on his face. This was clearly something he had wanted for a long time. "It's beautiful," he stated. "You'll have it some day...some day soon."

Rob gave his head a slight shake as if to bring him back to reality and laughed a little. "I hope so. I've spent quite quite a few years building other people's dream homes...I've watched them pick out outrageously expensive marble countertops, installed imported Italian hardwood floors for them, in-ground swimming pools, and just about every other luxury you can think of...the whole time wondering if I would ever be able to have just a small fraction of that. I'm not looking to build a mansion. I just want the chance to have something - anything to call my own." He pulled Jason in for a side hug and the two stood there admiring the view for few minutes longer until it had visibly darkened.

"You will," Jason said as he pressed his cheek up against his chest. "You'll have your spiral staircase and master bedroom deck that looks out on the lake." He paused for a moment, then stated brightly, "And maybe even a skylight!"

Rob chuckled under his breath and gave him a tight squeeze. "A skylight, huh? Hadn't even thought of that. Come on, let's head back to the car while we can still see where we're stepping."

Upon returning to the car, Rob started it up and put the heat on low to warm them from the falling night temperature. "Well, that was it. I'm not sure how exciting tonight was for you," he stated almost apologetically, knowing that Jason had probably had loads more fun with Corey a few nights earlier.

Jason raised his eyebrows in surprise as he looked at him. "Oh no, I loved it, Rob! I didn't care what we did tonight or where we went. I just wanted to spend time with you."

Rob stared into the sincere blue eyes looking back at him. Jason was so easy to love. He shifted in his seat and leaned over in an attempt to kiss him, but then hesitated at the last moment. For a second he wasn't sure if he should kiss him as Corey wasn't present. Things were still new and awkward and they didn't have everything ironed out yet.

Jason looked questioningly at him. "What's wrong? Don't you want to kiss me?" he asked, concerned that perhaps he had done or said something wrong.

Reassured at those words, Rob grabbed him by the face and replied, "Of course I do, silly” and proceeded to press his lips against his. Jason threw his arms around Rob's neck and held on to him tightly as Rob's hand began to explore Jason in all the places that had been off limits before they had become three. And while Rob himself had specifically said sex should be put on hold for the time being as Jason was not yet 18, there were other things they could do that did not fall into that category. He wrapped one arm around Jason's waist and used his other hand to massage the now hard bulge within his younger boyfriend's jeans. A soft groan escaped Jason's lips as he did so.

Rob leaned his body across Jason's so he could reach the lever and recline Jason's seat back a bit. He then quickly undid Jason's jeans and pulled then down just enough so he could access what he wanted.

Jason's breath hitched as he realized what was about to happen. He hadn't expected this to happen on their date, but he was over the moon that it was. While Corey had probably been on the receiving end of Rob's oral pleasure in a car countless times, Jason had not and he had a lot of catching up to do. He held his breath as he felt Rob go down on him and devour his entire erection with ease. He tried to muffle his moans of pleasure, to which Rob paused and looked up at him. "I want to hear you. Don't be quiet." His voice was soft, but insistent at the same time.

Jason complied with the request and allowed his partner to hear how happy he was making him. With each of Jason's moans and gasps, Rob gave his best effort to make sure those beautiful sounds continued.

Rob wasn't a skinny little twink like Jason - he was tall with broad shoulders, and leaning across the front seat of a car wasn't the most comfortable position, but he wanted their first to date to end on a high note. Fortunately it never took very long to get Jason off and after a relatively short time, he heard Jason shout "Uggh, fuck! Fuck, Rob! I'm gonna come!"

Rob beared down and sucked even harder as he brought Jason through his orgasm. He swallowed every drop he gave him before releasing his mouth, his ego sufficiently pleased that Jason was never able to hold on for very long before falling apart.  

Once he had caught his breath, Jason began to position himself to return the favor, but was surprised when Rob stopped him.

"No. That was just for you. Tonight was _your_  night."

Jason looked at him a bit confused. He _wanted_ to return the favor. He _loved_ being the one to cause Rob to come and he had only had two occasions to do so thus far as he took turns with Corey. "But..." he began to protest.

"Later tonight you can have your turn, don't worry. But this here, right now, tonight - this was just for you. I'm sure Corey will be waiting for us at the door, so...do you think you'll be up for it again when we get home?" Rob smiled and kissed him once more before putting the car in gear to head home.

Jason nodded with a large grin. Two blowjobs in one night? Sure. He could handle that.


	27. The Wait is Over

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: There are a few gay slurs in this chapter.

Jason's eyes lit up as they entered the club. Well, it wasn't the _actual_  club - that was upstairs and off limits to anybody who was not yet 21. They were simply in the underage section of the club; but even so, it was new and exciting to him. The music was blaring, the lights were dark, and there were people milling about everywhere. The main floor of the club had a live band performing and although those in the under 21 section couldn't see the band, they could still hear them clear as day as the sound was filtrated in through a state of the art sound system.

Rob and Corey had been there a few times together in the past. It wasn't an actual gay club per se, but one of the co-owners had been out for a long time and had created a welcoming atmosphere to everybody, regardless of sexual orientation. Jason had been wanting to experience the club scene for a while, and so the three had taken tonight as a chance to do that.

Rob was given an over-21 bracelet as he entered to indicate he was of legal age to drink, and the three headed in and found a little table toward the back. Rob ordered himself a beer and two sodas for Jason and Corey. After settling in for a few minutes, Corey stood up and grabbed Jason by the arm. "Come dance with me!" he shouted over the loud music.

Jason stood and looked at Rob to see if he was going to join them on the dance floor. Rob smiled and shook his no and motioned with his hand for them to go along. He wasn't the dancing type and preferred just sitting back and watching, which had always made him feel a little guilty when he was out with Corey. But with Jason around now, Corey finally had someone to dance with.

Rob sat back and nursed his beer, content to simply watch the scene unfold before his eyes. There they were - his two boys, out on the dance floor, their hands on each other's hips, their eyes fixed on one another, their bodies close together. Clubs always seemed to have an air of sexual tension about them, and with the flickering lights, heavy music and loud bass practically vibrating through the chair that he sat in, Rob was completely content to just watch and enjoy the two of them grinding up against each other for the night.

Every once in a while Corey would glance and over and smile at him. Jason would occasionally look over as well to mouth the words " _Come dance with us_!" Rob just smiled and wrinkled his nose at them, preferring to sit back and gaze as they sensually rubbed up against each other. He knew they didn't understand, but that was far more entertaining to him than jumping around like a fool out there.

As he watched, he began to take notice that they were attracting more than just his own attention. As he scanned the room, he could see a few other males looking them up and down intently, almost undressing them with their eyes. Corey and Jason were extremely attractive and he wasn't at all surprised that others might have an interest in them. But they belonged to him, and so he sat a little more erect, a little more on guard and alert - just in case. The majority of people who came here were good and decent people just out for a night of fun, but there were always a few bad apples to spoil the bunch. That was a given almost anywhere you went.

"Fucking faggots!"

Rob turned quickly to the left to see who had spoken those words. There was a guy standing near Rob's table looking out onto the dance floor, arms folded across his chest and scowling. He was approximately the same age as Rob and was staring at Corey and Jason and shaking his head.

"Excuse me?" Rob queried.

The other man turned to look at Rob and, assuming he was straight, began to roll his eyes and gesture to the dance floor. "Those two!" he pointed. "Jesus Christ!"

"You know this is a gay-friendly club, don't you?" Rob stated as he stared him down. "One of the co-owners of this place is gay. This is a safe place for them," gesturing with a nod to the dance floor.

The man shrugged his shoulders at the comment. "Nah, didn't know that or I wouldn't have come here. But come on!" He then walked back towards the over 21 area of the club and Rob assumed that would be the last he saw of him. "Ignorant prick," he muttered under his breath.

After several sodas and trips to the dance floor for Corey and Jason, Rob proposed that they head for home. He had watched Corey grinding up against Jason for so long that he already felt the hardness within his jeans becoming uncomfortable. Waiting until Jason was 18 was becoming more difficult by the day, and witnessing tonight's sexual tension on the dance floor had just about pushed Rob over the edge.

As they exited the club Corey and Jason walked ahead a few paces through the parking lot. Rob was trailing behind them when he heard the word "faggot" yelled once again and noticed the man from earlier standing with a friend by their car. The man stepped away from his car to block Jason and Corey from passing by.

"So...what do we have here? Oh, aren't you pretty!" he sneered while looking directly at Jason. "Isn't he just so pretty?" he asked sarcastically to his friend who said nothing, but simply snickered. Turning his attention back toward Corey this time, he taunted "Fucking faggots!"

"Oh, I don't think so, asshole!" Rob growled under his breath as he stepped up from behind to confront him. Nobody was going to disrespect or bully either of his boys - not if he had anything to say about it.

As the man looked from Rob to the other two, and then back again, it began to click that perhaps his initial assumption about Rob had been wrong. When he realized that Rob was actually with Corey and Jason, he stated, "What the fuck? You're queer too?" he laughed out loud. "Never saw _that_  coming!"

Rob took a few steps forward so that he was now face-to-face with the prick in question. "What difference does it make if I am or not? Nobody's bothering you. Why don't you just mind your own fucking business?" He eyes were wild with anger, his fists balled up tightly, and his jaw set. If there was anything such as a death glare, Rob had it.

As the man looked up at the 6-foot tall, muscular and athletic Rob towering over him, he began to sense that he had picked the wrong person to battle with. He started to back peddle a bit to try and diffuse the situation. "Look man...it's cool. Whatever. I'm not looking for a fight or nothing."

"Really? You could have fooled me," Rob replied coldly. "Cor, take Jason to the car... now!" Corey hesitated, not wanting to leave Rob alone and outnumbered 2 to 1. "Now!," Rob yelled again, causing Corey to grab Jason by the arm and lead him toward the car, but keeping watch over his shoulder should anything happen.

After a few more seconds of a stare down and feeling he had made his point, Rob ended it by turning on his heel and began to make his way back to his car as well. He had taken no more than three steps when he heard the word "faggot" snickered quietly one final time. And that was it - he had a breaking point and the fourth time of hearing that vile word this evening had sent him over the edge. He pivoted quickly on his heel, took one lunge forward and swung so hard that the other man hadn't the time to even react. Rob sent him sailing back against the hood of his car, stunned and holding his jaw. The friend grabbed him under the arm before he slid off the hood and onto the ground. The friend looked up at Rob, who had his fist clenched and raised again, ready to deliver another blow if need be. Rob never went looking for a fight, but if he encountered one he made dam sure that he was the one to finish it.

The friend held one hand up to Rob to indicate they didn't want to fight. "Look man, it's over, okay? He just had too much to drink, that's all. Just...just...back off. We're leaving," he stated in a hurried voice as he opened the car's passenger door and pushed his still stunned friend in.

Corey had by this time put Jason in the car and had walked back to Rob. He reached up to grab the raised fist and gingerly lowered it. "Come on, Rob. Let's go home now. It's okay," he said in as calm a voice as he could muster.

They piled in the car with Corey taking the keys from Rob and entering the driver's seat himself. Rob only had one beer, but he was clearly too angry to be behind the wheel right now. They drove home in relative silence, allowing Rob to calm down from the whole situation. For he and Corey, situations like this would happen from time to time, but for Jason this was a frightening and new occurrence. Rob turned around to check on Jason in the back seat, chewing on his thumbnail and his leg shaking up and down nervously.

"Hey?" Rob said softly. "It's okay. Shit like that happens sometimes. There's assholes like him everywhere and eventually you run into one. But you never have to worry as long as I'm with you. I'd never let anything happen to either of you." Jason nodded his head and gave a small smile. He was grateful that Rob had been with them tonight. Had it been just him and Corey, there was no telling how it might have ended.

Upon arriving home and entering the apartment, Rob shut and locked the door, and then turned around to look at them. His eyes had taken on a different look Jason noticed - they were dark and hungry looking. Perhaps Corey had seen this look a hundred times before, but for Jason this was different.

As Rob stood in front of them, his eyes traveled from one to the other. He loved them so much...both of them. He didn't give a fuck about anybody else, or what they thought about their three-way relationship. And he was so tired of waiting. They had done one-on-one time, discussed the pitfalls of their relationship to ad nauseum, and had spent hours upon hours of time together over the last year. Other than Jason's current age, they had done everything they could to make sure they were prepared for the pros and cons of entering into a threesome. And while Rob had given the waiting-game his best effort, tonight had just been such a roller coaster of emotions for him - from being turned on and aroused watching them dance together at the club - to needing to step in and protect them out in the parking lot. He needed a release to all the pent up energy and emotion of the night. He took one step forward towards them and put a hand on each of their cheeks, kissing Corey first and then Jason. As he pulled away from Jason's lips he looked him directly in the eye and stated softly, "I want you. Tonight...now."

A small huff of air escaped Jason's lips as he had been caught off guard by the request - a request that sounded more like a command, but he understood Rob was still angry and highly charged from the incident in the parking lot. Jason nodded his head, confirming that he was completely willing.

Corey slithered up to Rob and began to seductively kiss him. He knew how to calm Rob down, but Jason did not. Not yet anyway. Unsure what to do, Jason stood still for a moment, hoping one of them would instruct him. As if sensing Jason's uncertainty, Rob immediately reached out and pulled Jason in by the arm so that the three of them were together, each taking turns kissing one another's neck or mouth, their hands freely roaming from one boyfriend's body to the other. Without removing his mouth from Jason's, Rob removed his own jacket and let it fall to the floor. He released his hold on Jason's mouth for only a moment to allow himself to pull his T-shirt over his head, and then Jason's and Corey's as well.

Jason's heart began to race. He knew what was about to happen, and although he had prayed, hoped and dreamed for this night to come, he still was very nervous. He could count the number of times he had had sex on one hand, and that was with a girl. He had never had sex with another male, much less two at the same time. He tried to keep his breathing slow and steady, but it was a nearly impossible task.

Rob took one hand and gently ran it down the side of Jason's head, running his fingers through the long locks of blond hair and messing it up slightly in the process. Using his fingers, he caressed the side of Jason's cheek, then the side of his neck, and finally taking his thumb and running it gently along the underside of his jawline, being unusually tender. Rob wanted him in the worst way, but he knew he couldn't 'have' him in the same way he could Corey - not yet anyway. Corey was used to Rob's aggressive demeanor and roughness in bed whereas Jason was not.

Placing his arms on their chests, Rob gently pushed both Jason and Corey backwards until they were standing at the foot of the bed. He quickly undid the top of both Jason and Corey's jeans, which they then finished pulling down and kicked off. After Rob did the same, the three were stripped down to nothing but their underwear.

"Up," Rob whispered in Jason's ear as he held on to his arms. Jason bent his legs behind himself and knelt on the bed, which placed him higher up and able to look directly at Rob eye-to-eye. He placed his arms around Rob's neck and looked to him for guidance. Rob in turn took his index fingers and slipped them just inside the elastic waistband on Jason's undershorts. A chill went up Jason's spine at the sensual touch of his skin being brushed as Rob worked his fingers from the back and toward the front...so close to his hard-on, but not yet touching it.

Jason knew he would have to use some mind tricks tonight to keep himself from coming prematurely. Up until now when the three of them were together they satisfied each other with blow jobs, hand jobs, and occasionally dry humping. Corey was an absolute master at that, he had discovered. But tonight was going to be different. The last thing Jason wanted was to come 10 seconds into it and yet the sensation of Rob's fingers under his waistband was pushing him closer to coming than he wanted. He wasn't even completely naked yet, for God's sake.

Just then, Rob removed his hands from Jason and turned his attention to Corey for the moment. On one hand, Jason was relieved as it gave him a moment to recover, but there was a slight feeling of letdown as well. He would have loved to have Rob's undivided attention tonight for his first real experience with another male, but this is what he signed up for. Sharing was going to have to be a part of their love making and Corey needed Rob's attention just as much as he did.

Jason politely gave Corey his due time, but leaned in so that he could rest his cheek on Rob's chest. He ran his fingers over Rob's nipple and chiseled abs and enjoyed the strong arm around his waist that Rob had left in place; so even though Rob's attention had turned to Corey, he wasn't completely ignoring Jason either.

When Rob broke the kiss for a moment to take a breath, Corey used the opportunity to grab Jason and hold him tight. Corey pushed him down on the bed and they fell about laughing in between kisses and nips to each other's neck.

Rob stood at the foot of the bed for a minute or so, simply admiring the two beautiful boys rolling about in nothing but their underwear on his bed. 'How the fuck did I get so lucky?' he thought to himself as he stared in almost disbelief at them. They were perfect - they were beautiful - they were kind and loving. And he knew they could do so much better than him. After giving them a few moments to themselves, Rob crawled onto the bed and positioned himself over Jason, leaving just enough room so that Corey could work his way in as well.

Lying on his back, his arms above his head and resting on the pillow, Jason's eyes darted back and forth between Corey and Rob above him. He had seen them both naked numerous times by now and as much as he loved Rob, he knew it would be easier having Corey take him for his first time. Corey was a little smaller in size, both in length as well as girth. But he also knew that Rob called the shots and things would happen however he orchestrated them. And although nothing had ever been spoken out loud on the topic, it went without saying that Rob would be the one to take him first. It was simply the way the hierarchy was going to work.

As Corey began to kiss him again, Jason felt his underwear being inched down his thighs until they were removed from his ankles. He felt the bed dip as Rob got off and then returned, his underwear now missing as well. Jason opened his eyes during Corey's kiss and glanced up to admire Rob, kneeling above him, full-on erection and a lust in his eyes that he had not quite seen to this level before. He had a slight smile on his face as he watched Jason and Corey interact with each other. As Corey was too busy loving Jason with his mouth to remove his own underwear, Rob reached over and removed the final item of clothing amongst them.

As Corey ended their kiss, Rob lowered himself again onto Jason and stared intently into his eyes. He held Jason's wrist down firmly with one hand, while with the other he used his thumb to gently pull down Jason's bottom lip, exposing the soft pink skin underneath. It was small, subtle gestures like this indicated that Rob was in control. And yet it didn't frighten Jason. For behind the wild animal-like gaze of Rob's eyes, Jason knew that he genuinely loved him.

"Cor? Give me one second with him, okay?" Rob asked. Corey nodded and laid down on his back to watch.

Rob adjusted his position to completely cover Jason's body with his own - each of their erections fully pressed up against the other's. Jason could feel a wetness beginning to form down there. He was pretty sure it was his own, but he secretly hoped that some of it was Rob's and that he was turned on as much as he was. Rob kept himself semi-propped up on his elbows so as not to hurt Jason, who was half his size. He then spent several minutes kissing and caressing Jason and preparing him for what was to come, his tongue traveling down to tease one nipple and then the other. Occasionally he would stop and stare into those big blue eyes that he had grown to love over the last year.

Seeing the nervousness in his eyes, Rob paused. "Are you scared?" he asked. "We don't have to do this if you don't want to, you know."

Jason shook his head in the negative. "No...no....I want to," he stammered. "I swear I do. But...umm...should I turn over?" he asked, not sure what position Rob was going to want him in, but knowing that this was a common one for he and Corey.

"No. I want to see your face for our first time," Rob smiled down on him. "Corey, scoot in behind him," he directed.

Corey repositioned himself so that he was semi-reclined behind Jason, similar to how Rob had wanted them on the couch at the beach house. Jason particularly liked this position as Corey could hold him about the waist and he could stare into Rob's eyes at the same time. He liked being in the middle - whether it was for sex, watching TV on the couch, or simply going to sleep at night. He relished being touched by both of them at the same time and it gave him a feeling of being protected.

Rob positioned Jason's leg how he wanted them - spread apart and knees bent. Corey legs were placed in between to help keep Jason's open. Rob then grabbed some lube from his nightstand and placed a dollop on two fingers. He reached down between Jason's legs and began to rub his hole, making gentle, circular motions.

Jason bit his lip at the odd sensation and stifled a gasp. Such a strange mix of emotions he was feeling - excitement, embarrassment, anticipation and arousal.

Rob stared down from his position above, never taking his eyes off of Jason. Not one move would be made if he wasn't 100% positive that Jason was still wanting it. He knew that waiting a bit longer would have been best, but there was just no denying the feelings between the three of them and he wanted the maddening torture of waiting to end as much as the other two did.

"Relax," Corey whispered into his ear. "You're way too tense."

Jason would have laughed out loud if he could. How can you _not_  be tense when somebody has their finger at the opening of your asshole, he thought to himself.

Just then Jason felt Rob's finger pressing a bit harder on his opening and realized that he had actually entered him. It was only one finger, but it felt so strange and foreign. For a fleeting second, he began to wonder if he had made a mistake. Maybe this wasn't what he had thought it would be...maybe penetrating a girl had its advantages over this. But almost as soon as the thought entered his mind it was replaced with an overwhelming sensation of exhilaration as Rob inserted a second finger. For whatever the reason, it was the second finger that brought Jason back to being fully certain that this was indeed what he wanted. He moaned softly as Rob moved his fingers in such a way that he felt he was going to explode from the sheer joy of it.

"Yeah, that's it," Corey coached him as he continued to hold him tightly about the waist. "Just relax and I swear to God you're gonna love it," he promised as he nuzzled into him.

Jason nodded his head as he bit down hard on his bottom lip. He felt the pain of his teeth cutting into his lip, but it was the only way he could force himself to not come at that very moment. Rob hadn't even penetrated him yet with his cock - he certainly didn't want to come before that happened. Plus, Corey would never let him live it down if he did - he would be teased mercilessly for the rest of his life about it.

From his position above, Rob was clearly able to read Jason's face. He knew he was less experienced and less able to hold on, so he decided to forego the finger fucking any further. Better to move things along - at least until Jason was better able to control his own bodily reactions.

Rob removed his fingers, to which Jason reacted with a soft cry of disappointment. Rob picked up a condom that he had placed beside him on the bed and began to slowly unroll it up the entire length of his shaft, giving Jason time to admire the substantial size of it. Once he had accomplished that, he picked up the lube again and applied a generous amount to his manhood.

Jason blinked his eyes several times and firmly grasped Corey's wrists that were about his waist. This was really happening...after all this time, after so many dreams and fantasies...it was actually happening. Jason was both thrilled and terrified at the same time.

Rob then took a moment to make eye contact with Corey, wanting to make sure he was feeling okay about this as well. One look at the wild lust in Corey's eyes and Rob knew that his first boy was just fine. He would make sure to take care of him good - just as soon as he was done with Jason.

Rob leaned over the two boys, kissing Corey first on the lips and then Jason. "You're still sure?" he asked one final time, although he knew the answer. The heavy panting, the flushed cheeks, the fact that Jason was willingly spreading his legs wide apart without the aide or assistance of Corey - all signs that indicated to Rob he very much wanted it.

"Yes! Jason choked, desperately wanting to feel Rob finally penetrate him. "Make me your second boyfriend for real...I want to belong to you," he groaned and begged. "Make me yours!!!"

Those last three words echoed in Rob's brain and fed fully into his control issues, a small smirk forming on his face as he knew how badly Jason wanted him. He placed his hands on Jason's inner knees and pushed his cock up against the tight pink hole that had been strictly off limits before now. He pressed and stopped as soon as the head had penetrated him.

Jason grunted and squirmed a bit in Corey's lap as he adjusted to the strange new feeling. He arched his back to attempt to find the most comfortable position.

From underneath, Corey watched everything with wide, hungry eyes. Jason's legs were spread eagle, his hardened cock resting against his stomach. Rob was kneeling in front of him, already partially penetrating Jason and simply biding his time before he pushed in any further. It was like watching a porno, but better, because Corey knew he would be able to participate in just a few short minutes.

Jason gave a nod to indicate that he was okay and Rob took the opportunity to slide in a little more - about halfway.

"Hmmph!" Jason grunted in discomfort. He didn't want to say stop - if Corey could do it, so could he. But Rob _was_  a lot to take for your first time losing your anal virginity.

"Relax, Jay," Corey consoled him. "Relax all your muscles and it will be easier." He peppered his neck with tiny kisses and bites in an attempt to relax him. Corey remembered his own first time, and even though his first encounter wasn’t with Rob, it was still a bit uncomfortable and unnerving. So he knew exactly what Jason was going through.

And Rob knew as well...all too well in fact. Some of Rob's first experiences had been with men who didn't give a shit that he was only a kid of 14. They had paid good money for him and they were going to get their rocks off whether Rob enjoyed it or not. Too many times he had been left bruised, bleeding and sore after a rough john had finished with him. So there was no way in hell he was going to do anything to Jason to cause him any pain.

Rob stopped, not wanting to thrust or enter any further unless he knew Jason was okay. "Jay - tell me the truth. You okay? You want me to stop? I swear to God I will - just say so."

Jason stared up at the intense dark brown eyes staring down at him. He knew Rob's word was good and he would never do anything to hurt him. He shook his head no. "Just...just go slow, okay? I'm afraid it's gonna hurt," he pleaded.

"I'll go slow. I promise." Rob very cautiously withdrew a smidge and then reentered slowly and carefully. He proceeded to do a gentle back and forth rocking motion, taking as much time as he needed, until he was fully sheathed inside of Jason.

Rob groaned as he felt himself fully contained...finally. "There - I'm all the way in," he moaned as he took Jason's left hand and intertwined their fingers.

Jason smiled upon hearing those words. He raised his legs a bit and placed his feet on Rob's upper thighs, feeling that position suited him best. He felt full beyond his wildest dreams - a mix of pain and pleasure, but he loved it. He stared down in amazement as he watched Rob's cock glide gently in and out of his own body. It was fascinating to see and even harder to believe that he had actually managed to do it. He felt Corey's arms about his waist tighten and could feel Corey's erection rubbing up against the small of his back. Corey rocked his own hips a bit in order stimulate himself against Jason's back.

With each gentle thrust from Rob, both Jason and Corey were rocked back a bit - a rhythmic and gentle to and fro, their three bodies moving as one. Jason closed his eyes for a moment, feeling that his release was close, and tried to imagine something unpleasant, but it was so friggen hard. How could he think of anything unpleasant at a time like this? He was being taken by Rob and held by Corey, and he had waited so dam long for this night....he didn't want to ruin it with unpleasant memories. Jason then felt his own erection being stroked and squeezed by Corey and any hope of him prolonging his first experience went out the window.

"Oh fuck," Jason whispered under his breath. He could feel the sensation bubbling up within him and he knew he was going to come. He opened his eyes to see Rob staring down at him, intense and fully focused on pleasing him.

"It's okay. You can come," Rob panted, knowing that Jason was right on the cusp.

The words had barely fallen off of Rob's lips when Jason's body tensed and he arched his back involuntarily in an attempt to make sure Rob continued to hit that special spot. He felt a low growl arise from his throat, screaming some obscenities in his moment of delirium-induced pleasure and watched as he came all over his stomach, with Corey still pumping away at his cock.

As each of his muscles weakened and relaxed, Jason groaned a sigh of relief as his orgasm slowly passed through every nerve ending of his body. He had done it! And not only had he done it, he had absolutely loved it. He gave a weak smile to Rob, still hovering above him and smiling down at him as well.

Corey nuzzled himself into his neck and whispered, "Didn't I tell you you'd love it?" Jason nodded and turned his head slightly to look into Corey's eyes as well. He wished every night could be like this and couldn't imagine life getting any better.

Rob leaned down and kissed him for a minute and offered some praise as he recovered. "You did so good. I'm gonna take care of Corey now, okay?" he asked. Jason nodded and slid over and off to the side a bit to allow Corey his turn. He laid on his back and prepared to watch the other two. He had seen them have "quickies" under the blankets before in the dark, but he had never actually witnessed any of that first hand or in plain view.

Rob's gentle demeanor with Jason was quickly replaced with an urgent determined one. He quickly flipped Corey over onto his stomach and then grabbed him by the hips and pulled him forcefully into an all-fours kneeling position. Rob removed the condom he had used on Jason and prepared to take Core bareback. There was very little preparation for Corey, not a fraction of what Jason had received, and before a few seconds had passed Rob had completely thrust himself deep into Corey, who moaned at the sheer speed of it all.

Rob placed one hand on the arch of Corey's back and the other on his hip to keep him positioned closely. And with the force the Rob was penetrating him, had he not had a good grip on Corey he would have been quickly pushed up against the headboard of the bed. Corey balled up the sheets within his fists, closed his eyes and threw his head back. There were moments when Corey seemed in actual pain, and then others when he was clearly enjoying himself. The fully erect hard-on that was visible to Jason made it clear he was enjoying himself.

Jason watched in awe at Rob's technique of pounding his partner, the muscles of his thighs tight and taut, his biceps hard and contracted as he held in his partner firmly in place. The loud slapping of skin-on-skin was not something Jason had expected and he wondered how Corey was going to walk the following morning. But Corey never said a word or gave any indication that he wanted Rob to stop. On the contrary, he would often look over his shoulder at Rob and beg for more - "Yes! Oh God, yes! Don't stop, Rob!"

Eventually Corey began to groan loader and then began to shout out "Fuck me! Fuck me harder!", to which Rob seemed more than happy to oblige. And just when Jason couldn’t have imagined the fucking couldn't get any harder, Rob reached around to grab Corey's cock, then pulled back and slammed himself forward one last time, causing to Corey to come instantaneously all over Rob's hand.

Not able to support the weight of his body on his arms any longer, Corey fell forward on the bed as Rob fell with him, staying internally connected, and continued to thrust a few more times until he came himself, groaning loudly into the back of Corey's neck and muttering a few swears as he rode his orgasm out, his seed now deep inside Corey's body.

For a moment, Jason felt a twinge of regret that he hadn't been able to hold out long enough to allow Rob to come inside him. He so desperately wanted to experience that. And yet again it was Corey who seemed able to satisfy him fully. But if he had to go through what Corey did to achieve that, he wasn't exactly sure he could.

Rob looked up and immediately noticed the wide-eyed expression on Jason's face and laughed lightly under his breath. "Don't worry. I didn't hurt him. That's how Corey likes it."

"Uhh huhhhm," was the weak response from Corey, his face still buried in a pillow.

Rob removed himself from Corey, grabbed one of their discarded T-shirts to clean up the few wet spots they had created, and laid down on his back in between the two, pulling each of them in close. Jason rested his arm on Rob's chest, which was still heaving from the physical effort he had exuded by satisfying both boys. He draped his arm over Rob's stomach, with Corey doing exactly the same so that their hands were touching each other's.

"That was fucking amazing," Corey mumbled in a tired voice as he squeezed Jason's hand.

Jason felt an overwhelming need to sleep as his body and mind were exhausted. He drifted off with a small smile on his face; within the strong arm of one man he loved, and holding the hand of the other.


	28. The Morning After

Rob opened his eyes, his internal alarm clock already alerting him to the fact that it was 6:00 a.m. even though it was still dark out. He wanted to stretch, but found that to be quite impossible. Jason was squeezed up close to him on one side with a leg thrown over both of his, while Corey had flipped onto his back and had flung his arm across Rob's chest. The brief flicker of annoyance he had at being trapped in the center melted away as he looked down upon them and recalled the night before.

Rob let out a large sigh as his mind began to wander and worry. What if Jason regretted what happened when he awoke? What if Corey suddenly felt they had made a mistake and he no longer wanted to share Rob? What if not waiting until Jason turned 18 had unexpected consequences? A plethora of " _what if's_ " began to race through his head as he lay silent and still until the other two awoke.

As Jason began to stir a bit in his sleep, Rob gazed down upon him. A long chunk of blond hair had fallen across Jason's face and Rob used his finger to brush it off to the side. How had this pain in the ass kid gone from being nothing more than a major annoyance to somebody that he now loved more than life itself? It seemed so strange how it all happened, he thought. Who would have thought that that scrawny, dirty-faced kid with the bruised eye and split lip would have managed to worm his way into his heart the way he did? Had anybody told him a year ago where the three of them would be now, he would have outright laughed in their face and called them crazy.

He turned his head slightly to look at Corey, who also had a mop of sandy curls lying across his eyes, but Rob wasn't able to move his arm far enough to remove them. Corey was lightly snoring, as he was prone to do, and had himself sprawled across the bed and taking up about 70% of it. Even pre-Jason that had been an issue, but now with Jason in the bed every night they were going to have to do something about it. The bed simply wasn't big enough to accommodate the three of them comfortably and Rob hadn't had a solid night's sleep in several weeks due to the overcrowded bed conditions.

Jason wriggled around and tugged on the covers, his eyes just beginning to flutter open. This was the moment of truth, Rob thought to himself. Either one of two things were about to happen - Jason's face was either going to show regret as the recollection of last night entered his head...or it wouldn't. Rob hoped it was the latter.

Jason blinked a few times and yawned, and then looked up at Rob. Their eyes met for a few moments, but no words were said. _"Jesus, please don't regret it,"_ Rob thought to himself as he stared at him.

A wide smile then formed on Jason's face, now being awake enough to fully recall last night. Rob smiled upon seeing it and squeezed him with his one free arm as Jason snuggled up closer to him.

"Why you awake so early?" Jason asked in a drowsy voice, closing his eyes again.

"I can't sleep past 6:00. My body's just trained to wake up at the crack of dawn I guess," he said in a whisper, so as to not wake Corey. "So...ummm...Jay? You're okay, right?"

Jason opened one eye. The concerned look on Rob's face let him know that he was just worried about what had happened last night. "Yeah, I'm good. I'm really, _really_  good," he smiled.

Rob paused for a moment. "Uh...I was just kind of worried that...you know, maybe I hurt you without meaning to? With it being your first time and all, I mean."

Jason took a quick mental inventory of how his body felt this morning. If he was completely honest, he _was_  a little sore and could definitely tell that he had sex last night, but it wasn't uncomfortable enough to keep him from getting on with his day. "I think I'm okay....yeah, I'm okay," he said with certainty.

"Good...good," Rob stated with a sigh of relief.

Just then Corey rolled over, yawned and stretched, and in the process Rob was able to free his other arm.

"All right you two. I have to take a shower and go to work," Rob stated as he crawled over Corey and out of the bed.

"But it's Saturday!" Corey whined in a half-awake voice. "Stay in bed with us a while...pleeeeeeeaaaasse?!"

"I'm sorry guys. I'll only be a few hours today, I promise. Someone's gotta pay the rent," he called as he closed the bathroom door.

With Rob gone from the bed, Jason now scooted in closer to Corey. He wanted to go back to sleep, but he wanted to talk as well. Last night had changed everything and it wasn't only Rob who was concerned about that.

"We're still good, right? You and me?" Jason asked as he threw his arm over Corey's chest.

Corey looked at him not understanding. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Well, I just mean...Rob had sex with me last night. And I know that must've been really hard for you to have to watch. I just want to make sure we're still good and that you're not....that you're not mad at me or anything?"

Corey huffed a little at the thought. "Nah, I'm fine. _We're_  fine - I swear. This is what we all wanted, right? I mean, yeah, it's a little hard, I'm not gonna lie. But in the end, I actually kind of liked watching you two go at it," he grinned. "And anyway, my turn with you is coming."

Curious as to whether last night was typical, Jason asked "So, is Rob always that rough with you?"

"Nah. Not always. But he was pretty fired up last night, so he got a little more intense than usual I guess. But no, it's not always like that."

"Oh, good!" Jason stated with relief.

Corey chuckled a little as he rolled over on his side to face Jason. "I just thought of something. We never told you the safe word!"

"What's a safe word?"

"Oh, you know, it's for when the sex gets too rough and you want your partner to stop or slow down. So you choose a word that you would _never_  use during sex to snap the other person out of it and stop."

"Oh," Jason nodded. "So what is it?"

"Well, back when we first started dating, we went back and forth for a while trying to pick one out. Rob wanted 'red' and I wanted 'hippopotamus'."

Jason wrinkled his nose. "Hippopotamus? That's a stupid word!"

"But that's why it would be perfect. I would _never_  say 'hippopotamus' when I'm fucking unless something was wrong," he snorted. "But Rob said it should be 'red,' so red it is," Corey said with a little disappointment at not getting his way.

"Have you ever had to say it?" Jason asked.

"Just once or twice."

Jason raised his eyebrows a bit and made a mental note of the word in case he ever needed it. Part of him wanted to ask _why_  he had to say the word in the first place, but the other part figured he'd just leave well enough alone.

"Sooooo.....it looks like I get to have you next!" Corey stated as he snuggled up to Jason. "Tonight?"

"Well, uh, can we wait till tomorrow night? I mean...if you don't mind?" Jason asked with a slight blush of his cheeks. Understanding why, Corey nodded. "Sure. No rush. I get it." Jason smiled, happy that Corey understood.

Rob then exited the bathroom, freshly showed and smelling like aftershave. He sat down on the bed and pulled the covers up a little higher on the other two. "So, I'll only be a few hours. I'll see you two when I get home, okay? Behave yourselves," he grinned as he leaned down and gave them each a kiss and then exited the apartment.

Jason settled back in, happy to be able to sleep for maybe another hour. "I love you, Corey. I really do."

"Yeah, I know," he laughed lightly as he closed his eyes as well. "I love you too."


	29. Corey's Turn

Jason and Corey had enjoyed a lazy Sunday, lounging on the coach and watching movies for most of it. Rob, however, had spent the better part of the afternoon sitting at the kitchen table, writing out the month's bills and rent check, and then crunching numbers on a piece of paper to see how much he could put into his savings account for the land purchase that was to be coming soon.

From his position on the couch Jason could see Rob's hand go up to his forehead every now and again, his face in a frown, and he could he hear the small sighs of frustration as whatever numbers he was jotting down clearly weren't adding up to what he hoped they would. Jason rose from the couch and sat down at the table beside Rob. There had been something on his mind for a while and now was as good a time as any to ask it.

"Rob? Can I get a job?" he asked.

Rob looked up from his bills and checkbook rather confused at the question. "Huh?"

"I want to get a part-time job. After school. Then I can help with the bills."

Rob shook his head in the negative. "No, no, no. I don't want you doing that."

"But why not? It would help. And besides, Corey has a job."

"Corey had his job at the restaurant before I ever met him. You're different."

Jason paused, not sure how to take the comment. He didn't want to be different than Corey, he wanted to be equal. "But..." he began in an attempt to plead his case, but Rob immediately cut him off.

"I said no! Look - I've got everything under control, okay? Don't worry about it. Just focus on school and getting into college - that's all I want you to do."

"College?!" Jason snorted out loud. "I'm not going to college!"

"Oh yes you are," Rob replied matter-of-factly. "You've got great grades - almost straight A's. You HAVE to go to college."

"My mother can't afford that," Jason said softly, having already resolved himself a long time ago to the fact that college simply wasn't in his future.

"That's why you need to keep getting good grades so you have a shot of getting some scholarship money. Plus, with you having no dad and your mom's income being so low, financial aid would probably cover most of it. And whatever isn't covered...well, I'll just take care of it myself." And with that, Rob closed the checkbook and rose from the kitchen table, indicating that the discussion was over. Apparently Jason would be going to college whether he wanted to or not.

Jason looked up at him in complete shock. He never expected Rob to cover his college expenses. It wasn't his responsibility and he didn't understand why it was so important to Rob that he go.

Seeing the look of hesitation on Jason's face, Rob continued. "Look. Corey's all set. His parents are paying for his tuition. But you deserve the same opportunity. If you don't go to college, what are you gonna do? End up like me? Busting your ass and getting paid shit for it? Nah, not you Jason. You're gonna do better than me - lots better. It's all settled. You'll stay local so we can avoid paying for a dorm, but you're gonna go to college and graduate and do amazing things with your life."

Knowing you couldn't argue with Rob once he had set his mind to something, Jason simply stared at him for a moment, then stood up to hug him tightly. Rob was a puzzle at times, but there was never any doubt in Jason's mind that he loved him. Rob returned the embrace and ran his hand affectionately up and down Jason's back. There wasn't anything he wouldn't do for either one of his boys, but especially Jason. Corey had a support system in place with his family, whereas Jason did not, which made Rob feel especially responsible to make sure he was taken care of. And while he wasn't exactly sure how he was going to manage the cost of college, he knew he would find a way.

Never one to be left out of a spontaneous hug, Corey immediately joined the two and within mere seconds the embrace took a turn that became much more sensual. Their three-way relationship was still so new that it didn't take much more than a glance or gentle touch to fire up their young libidos.

With just a nod of his head, Rob directed them over to the bed where a quick flurry of removing clothes ensued. Rob then knelt on the bed and pulled Jason in close to him. Corey took the opportunity to move in behind Jason and, placing his arms around his chest, began to run his fingers up and down the bare skin of younger boyfriend body. It was HIS turn tonight to take Jason and he had waited a long time for it.

Jason kept his arms tightly around Rob's neck, enjoying the firmness with which Rob held him close. He closed his eyes and focused in on the four hands that were now caressing his body. Even with his eyes closed it was clear whose hands were whose. Corey's were soft and smooth, and his touches were gentle. Rob's, on the other hand, were rough, calloused and firm and he touched Jason with a fierce intensity behind them.

The next thing Jason felt were Corey's slender fingers at his backside, gently spreading it apart so he could access it better. He felt a similar touch and stroke at his opening, just as Rob had performed two nights earlier, and then he eventually felt a finger slip inside of him. Jason pulled harder on Rob's neck as Corey took his turn pleasing him. After a few moments, Jason found himself pushing his bottom backwards and onto Corey's finger, reveling in the feeling of it inside him. Corey then removed his finger and pulled back on Jason's hips in order to make him lean slightly forward, and in a better position to take him.

Rob took his left hand and placed it on Jason's jaw, holding it firmly and forcing Jason to keep direct eye contact with him the entire time. Jason could feel the head of Corey's cock beginning to penetrate him. He wanted to bury his face into Rob's neck as it was happening, but Rob wasn't having it. He wanted to stare into Jason's eyes the entire time he was being penetrated. Up until this point, Rob had only been able to watch himself as he penetrated Corey; but by adding Jason into the mix, he could watch from a third-person viewpoint, and there was something very alluring about that.

Jason tried to hold back a groan when Rob demanded, "I want to hear you." Jason found himself slightly self-conscious of the odd animal-like noises coming from his throat, but it felt so dam good that he quickly forgot about it. "Uh...uh...uuuuhhhhhhh!" Jason grunted over and over again as Corey slowly slid himself in fully, not stopping until his balls were pressed up firmly against Jason's backside. Rob's eyes lit up at the completely helpless whining sound of his voice. "Mmmmmm.....feels so good," Jason moaned through the hand that was clamped tightly around his jawline. Corey went in so much easier than Rob had, and whether it was because he was slightly smaller or simply because he had already been prepared by taking Rob first, he wasn't sure. Corey sunk his fingertips into Jason's hips and began to gently thrust in and out, causing Jason to buck forward and into Rob with each push.

"God! You're so fucking tight, Jay," Corey groaned, which caused a small smirk from Jason. He was beyond pleased to know that he felt good and tight to Corey.

Knowing all too well how tight Jason actually was, Rob attempted to keep Corey dirty talking. "He feels good, doesn’t he Cor? Tell me how tight he is." The words were spoken to Corey, but Rob's eyes remained fixed on Jason, who noticed how deeply intense and animalistic Rob's eyes suddenly appeared.

Corey threw his head back and then rolled it on to one shoulder, causing his mop of hair to cover his face. "Oooooohhh....feels so good inside his tight little ass," he stated as he locked eyes with Rob. Corey knew how much Rob loved it when he had a filthy mouth during sex and he was always willing to please him with it. "Wanna keep my cock deep inside him all night...wanna fuck him till he can't walk...wanna leave his pretty little ass filled with cum and dripping cuz it can't hold anymore." Jason could feel himself become even more aroused than he already was just by the erotic words falling off Corey's lips. Corey then placed his chin on Jason's shoulder and shoved his tongue into Rob's mouth, who accepted it greedily.

Rob kept one arm wrapped tightly around Jason's waist and the other firmly on his jaw. After releasing Corey from his kiss, he returned to staring intensely into those large blue eyes and each time Corey pushed himself in, Rob felt a puff of air on his face that was being forced out of Jason's lungs. He watched as Jason bit down on his lip and closed his eyes, soft groans becoming louder and louder as Corey picked up the pace. Watching Jason's face as Corey fucked him up the ass was pure ecstasy.

Jason was in his favorite position - the middle. He was being penetrated and held in place from behind by Corey, and held by the face by Rob. He was completely at their mercy and the sensation of surrendering all control to them was intoxicating.

Rob inched back just slightly from Jason and then, placing one hand behind Jason's head, forced his head down so that he could suck his cock. Jason, now on all fours, took Rob's manhood inside his mouth and tried his very best to please Rob while Corey was pleasing him from behind. Rob maintained one hand on Jason's head the entire time, running his fingers through the long locks of hair and keeping his head down and where he wanted it. From Rob's position, he could watch Corey skillfully gliding and out of Jason, his cock slick and shining each time he withdrew.

The moans from Jason below began to become higher in pitch and closer to a whine. Corey was hitting that special spot that Rob had hit two nights earlier. Rob knew Jason would be coming very soon. He nodded to Corey who reached around and grabbed Jason's leaking cock, and then proceeded to pick up the pace just a bit. "Ooooohhh....fuck...yeah!" Corey moaned as he felt himself about to come. "Gonna come inside you!" And just as he felt warm liquid spilling over his hand from Jason's cock, Corey released himself deep inside his newest boyfriend, loudly shouting as he came, leaving no doubt that at least a few neighbors heard him - if they were home.

Jason tried to maintain a steady rhythm on Rob's cock as soon as his own orgasm passed. He wanted so badly to be the one to make Rob come tonight and he hoped Corey didn't move him out of the way to finish. Jason tightly wrapped one arm around Rob's thigh so that he couldn't be budged and as he sucked and hollowed out his cheeks as best he could, he heard Rob groan, "Fuck yeah! Fuck, I'm gonna cum," which was proceeded by several forceful bursts of thick, warm wetness that filled his entire mouth. He swallowed it as quickly as he could, still not quite used to the taste.

Rob removed his cock from Jason's mouth and fell back on the bed, and as soon as Corey removed himself as well Jason fell forward on top of Rob, completely spent and exhausted. Rob took his thumb and wiped away a small bit of cum that had dripped onto Jason's chin. The three of them laid slumped over each other as they recovered and caught their breath.

Jason would have been hard pressed if he had to say which he preferred - being fucked by Rob or Corey. He simply loved both of them and there was no choosing. And fortunately for him, he didn't have to.

"Can I sleep in the middle tonight?" Corey asked.

Jason wrinkled his nose a little in disappointment, but scooted over and allowed it. He had had the coveted middle position during sex - it was only fair that Corey have it as they slept. The downside was that he couldn't really hold onto Rob the way he liked to with Corey in the way, but that was the price of being in a thruple he supposed.

As they settled in for the night and found the best position for themselves within the small bed, Rob reached his arm over Corey so that he could also touch Jason's arm. A small smile formed on Jason's lips as he nuzzled himself into the back of Corey's neck. This would do.


	30. Competition

As Rob climbed the stairs to his apartment he began to hear arguing before he even reached the second floor landing. He wasn't at all surprised. This would make the third night this week that he came home and had to referee some sort of spat between the other two. They were a few months into their thruple relationship and things had been going relative well - until recently. As he ascended the last flight and entered the apartment, there they were - standing nose-to-nose, arguing over something, with Corey wildly waving a T-shirt around in one hand.

Rob deliberately closed the door with a bang to signify that he had arrived home, the other two having not even realized it until then. "Why do I have to come home to friggin' Romper Room every night? What the hell is wrong now?" he asked angrily. Home was supposed to be a peaceful haven after a long day of work, but their studio apartment was anything BUT that as of late.

"He took my clothes again without asking!" Corey immediately blurted out, wanting to state his side first. "This is mine!" he stated as he waved the T-shirt about for added effect.

"It's just a stupid T-shirt!" Jason fired back. "What's the big deal? It's not like you were gonna wear it!"

"It doesn't matter! You have to ask me first!"

As the heated debate went back and forth and showed no signs of a resolution, Rob stepped in between them to try and diffuse the situation. "Look," he began as he looked at Jason. "We've gone over this before, Jay. You _have_ to ask before you take something that belongs to him. Do you understand?"

Jason offered no reply, simply crossing his arms and glaring at Corey. It wasn't fair. Corey had five times the amount of clothing that he had - so much so that he barely wore half of it.

"Do you understand?" Rob asked again.

Jason gave a spiteful nod and turned away. Rob then gave Corey a disappointed look. Corey was right in this situation, but he didn’t have to be so spiteful about it. It _was_ , after all, just a T-shirt that he never wore anyway.

"Look," Rob stated. "I'm gonna go take a shower. Can I trust that World War III won't break out while I'm there?"

"Yeah, we're fine," Corey stated, already beginning to calm down. Jason, on the other hand, was still brooding and sulking on the other side of the room - as far away as he could get from Corey and still be in the same apartment.

Rob headed off and took a quick shower, deciding tonight was not the night to dilly-dally and relax while the hot water soothed his sore muscles. Maybe tomorrow, he thought to himself hopefully. The three ate a relatively quiet dinner and then Rob and Corey retired to the couch to watch a movie as it was Jason's night to do dishes.

Once the dishes were done, Jason walked over to the couch to join them. He noticed that Rob was on one end with Corey seated beside him and occupying the middle cushion. Jason had been with Corey for most of the day and what he really wanted right now was to sit beside Rob, and yet Corey was preventing that. He stood there silently, a slight scowl on his face, until Rob looked up from the TV and figured out what was going on. So he gave Corey a gentle nudge and the two of them scooted down the couch so that Jason could sit on Rob's other side.

"There! Are we all settled now?!" Rob said with a slight tone of annoyance as even the simple task of sitting on a couch had to be made difficult. He was beginning to see the signs of both of them competing for his attention and wasn't exactly sure how he could fix that.

A short time later, Corey looked at the time on his phone. "I gotta go to work now. I'll be home around 11:00 tonight," he stated as he put on his jacket and then gave Rob a kiss. He eyed Jason to see how receptive he would be to a goodbye kiss after their disagreement earlier. Fortunately Jason had calmed down by now and returned the goodbye kiss, feeling a bit disappointed in himself that he had acted the way he did early. "Stay out of my bureau!" Corey joked as he ruffled Jason's hair and then headed out the door.

Jason was rather happy that Corey had to work, although he felt terribly guilty at feeling that way. But for the past few weeks it seemed that neither of them had enough alone-time with Rob. Most nights Rob came home late and he worked most of the weekend as well. So while Jason and Corey had plenty of one-on-one time with each other, perhaps a little _too_  much, they were beginning to compete for what limited time there was with Rob. He didn't want to think of Corey as competition, but there were times when it almost felt that way.

"What's going on with you two anyway?" Rob asked, his arm tightly around Jason's shoulder.

Jason shrugged, not really wanting to explain it. Rob would probably find it quite petty and childish if he knew anyway. "I'm gonna go change," Jason stated in an attempt to avoid the question and headed off to the bathroom to put on a pair of comfy pajama bottoms.

Upon returning to the couch, Jason repositioned himself so that he was lying down, his head in Rob's lap. Rob then gently stroked his hair with his fingertips as they continued to watch the end of the movie together. This was something they did when they were alone. When Corey was on the couch with them there simply wasn't enough room for anybody to lie down like this.

Jason rolled over on his back and looked up at Rob hopefully. He wasn't yet comfortable with simply outright asking for sex...not yet anyway, but he had perfected the suggestive look in his eyes to such a degree that Rob always knew without him needing to ask.

Rob placed his hand on Jason's stomach, lightly brushing the skin with the tips of his fingers, tracing the outline of his belly button and then traveling up to graze each nipple as well. Through the thin fabric of Jason's bottoms, Rob could see that he was already beginning to harden.

"Turn over," Rob stated. Jason complied and turned over onto his stomach, his chest and upper body still across Rob's lap. Rob then pulled the pajama bottoms down and over his curved bottom as Jason wriggled out of them. Rob ran his hand over the now naked bottom, squeezing the flesh as he pleased. He then spit a small amount of saliva onto his middle finger and pressed it up against Jason's hole, causing a shiver to ripple through his younger partner's entire body.

Jason continued to lay on his stomach, eyes closed, and allowed Rob to please him. As much as he loved Corey and the sex that involved all three of them, it was also nice to have time alone with just one of them as well.

When Rob could sense that Jason was beginning to push his hips back and looking for more, he removed his finger. "Sit in my lap," he demanded, and as Jason stood up to make the position change, Rob removed his bottoms, releasing his own hard erection in the process.

Jason climbed onto Rob's lap so that they were facing each other, his legs bent and straddled on either side of Rob. Jason placed his hands on Rob's shoulders as the latter grabbed both of their cocks at once with one hand, rubbing and sliding them up against each other, each of their pre-cum mixing with the other's. With his free hand, Rob grabbed Jason by the back of the head and pulled him in close so he could kiss him.

Jason bucked his hips and arched his back to further stimulate himself as Rob firmly pulled and caressed their erections simultaneously. Rob gazed down and, seeing that a fairly adequate amount of pre-cum had already slicked him up, he knew he could proceed.

"Get on it," he growled into Jason's ear. Jason looked down at the impressive erection facing upwards at a 90 degree angle and wondered if he would be able to comply with the demand. But he decided to try, not wanting to disappoint Rob. He moved onto his knees and then positioned his hole directly over Rob's cock. It took a little longer to penetrate as they were simply using cum as a lubricant tonight, but soon Jason was able to take in the entire head. "Uuuuuhhhhh!" Jason moaned lightly at the exact moment of initial penetration.

Rob's eyes immediately lit up at the sound he made. He adored the wide assortment of noises, grunts and groans that Jason always made during sex. He felt Jason's fingers begin to dig into his shoulders as he tried to steady himself in this very new position. Rob placed both of his hands underneath Jason's bottom to help him maintain balance. Rob had the strong desire to thrust directly up, but he knew he couldn't do that, no matter how badly he wanted to. He simply had to wait for Jason to lower himself at his own pace.

Jason leaned forward and placed his forehead against Rob's as he continued to slowly take in all of his older boyfriend's manhood. It was slow-going, but eventually he found himself sitting fully in Rob's lap with the entire length completely inside him. Jason rolled his head back and groaned at the feeling of absolute fullness...so full that he couldn't bear any more.

Rob beamed as he witnessed the site, his youngest boyfriend completely impaled on his large cock, moaning and barely capable of moving. It didn’t get much better than this, he thought silently to himself.

Now that he was fully sheathed, Rob began a gentle rock and rolling of his hips, causing Jason to accompany the rhythm. As the intensity picked up, Jason found himself rising up a bit and then forcing himself down again, causing Rob's cock to plunge in deeper and harder. Once he found the right rhythm and intensity that suited him, there was nothing stopping Jason. By allowing Jason to choose the pace, Rob was able to settle back a bit and allow Jason to essentially fuck himself on the cock inside of him. A smirk spread across Rob's face at the pure delight of it all, silently wishing his cell phone was closer so he could snap a photo. Next time - he'd remember next time.

Jason removed a hand from Rob's shoulder to attend to his own cock, squeezing and pumping as he moved closer to coming. He stared at Rob and saw animal-like wild eyes staring back.

"Keep fucking it! Keep fucking it!" Rob growled as he placed a hand on the back of Jason's head and grabbed a fistful of hair in the process. "You like that, don't you?!" he asked rhetorically.

"Uhhh...mmmmm...oooohhh," Jason muttered and mumbled incoherently, his eyelids heavy, his eyes glossed over. He called on every ounce of willpower in his body to form a coherent sentence. "I'm your baby too, Rob? Right? Me too?"

"Uh huh," Rob groaned and nodded his head, the feeling of Jason's tight ass gripping his cock making it difficult to say much more. "You're my baby too...oh fuck....wanna come inside my baby."

A half-scream/half-cry began to arise from Jason as he felt his orgasm begin. He used every ounce of strength he had left to physically rise and grind down on Rob a few more times and when he had just about reached exhaustion, he ejaculated over Rob's abdomen. He threw both arms around Rob and buried his head in his neck as Rob continued to pump from beneath him. "Take it all, baby! Be my good boy and take every last fucking inch of me!" he moaned loudly as he came forcefully inside of Jason.

Jason smiled to himself as he clung to Rob, knowing that the older was releasing his entire load inside of him at that very moment...and it was all Jason's tonight. He felt the intense throbbing inside of his own body as Rob came hard and long, eventually feeling the pulsation weaken and slow down. Spent and out of breath, Jason remained in Rob's lap for a few minutes, not wanting to get off, knowing that Rob would then no longer be inside him and wanting to maintain that connection as long as physically possible.

Jason raised his head. "Have you ever done it like that to Corey?" he asked, hoping the answer would be no, but knowing full well it would be a yes.

Rob looked at him, knowing that for some reason Jason was feeling a bit insecure in their relationship. "Yeah, me and Corey have done that," Rob said. "But it's not a competition. I love you both the same."

No, it wasn't a competition. Jason knew that, but sometimes it felt like it.


	31. Making Up

Jason flipped the TV off via the remote control, placed his head back against the couch and stared up at the ceiling. He was _so_  terribly bored today. Rob and Corey were both at work and he absolutely hated being home alone in the small apartment. He had already done the laundry, changed the sheets on the bed, and had even spent a little time over on Rob's weight bench doing some of the simple exercises he had learned, but it wasn't as much fun as having Rob there to instruct him. Corey still had over an hour left of his shift to complete at the restaurant, and God only knew when Rob would be home.

Jason rose from the couch, grabbed his jacket and headed outside to make his way to the restaurant that was about a 15 minute walk away. He pulled the zipper up a little higher as the biting chill reached his inner core after just being outside for a few seconds. It was just beginning to get dark and while a brisk walk in the cold wasn't exactly what he wanted to be doing, it was better than staying home alone any longer. And this way, he could hang out at the restaurant for a bit and then catch a ride home with Corey.

As Jason entered the small restaurant, the brass bell tied to the door rang to signal that somebody had entered. Corey looked up from what he was doing to see Jason approaching. "Hey, what are you doing here?" he asked with a large smile as Jason proceeded to sit down on a stool at the counter area.

"Got bored being home alone all day," he said sheepishly. He hadn't officially apologized to Corey yet for the argument the other night, although Corey had seemingly brushed it off and was back to his old self. Corey was good like that, seldom holding a grudge.

Corey smiled as he grabbed a mug and filled it with hot chocolate and set it on the counter in front of Jason. "On the house!" he said cheerfully. "But I gotta go bus some tables and stuff, okay?"

"Yeah, that's okay. I know you're busy," Jason stated as he blew on his steaming cup of hot chocolate. It would be about 45 minutes before Corey was done, so he nursed his drink slowly and watched Corey bustle about the place, cleaning off tables, answering the phone, taking pizzas out of the oven and boxing them up for the delivery man to deliver...he seemed to be capable of doing everything. And everybody there seemed to know him. All the regular customers knew him by name and joked with him. Corey was clearly a favorite with the older crowd. A table with a group of senior citizen men having coffee carried on a playful banter back and forth with him as he cleaned the table beside them. Corey was probably the most likable person he had ever met and his conscience was bothering him as he had yet to apologize for taking his shirt without asking the other night.

Eventually it was 6:00 and Corey's shift had come to an end. He motioned to Jason to follow him to the back of the restaurant so they could exit via the employee entrance and out into the parking lot. As Corey drove his car off of lot and made a left turn onto the main street, a light flurry of snow began to fall. It reminded Jason of the night almost two years ago when Corey had first brought him home for the night. It was Corey who had kept him out of the cold that night. It was Corey who had introduced him to Rob. And it was Corey who had originally came up with the idea of the three of them being in an intimate relationship together. Jason felt a little pang of guilt at how he had been feeling towards him as of late. If it wasn't for Corey, he truly had no idea where he would be right now - back home in a domestically violent situation? In foster care or juvenile detention? Working the streets like Rob once had? Or even dead perhaps? There was no knowing. He owed everything to Corey and was ashamed at how he had been acting.

As Corey pulled up to a red light and stopped the car, Jason spoke. "I'm sorry, Cor. I've been kind of a dick lately," he said softly.

Corey turned his head to right to look at him. "Huh? Oh, that's okay" he stated as he realized what he was talking about.

"No, it's not okay. I really _am_  sorry. I guess I didn't realize how hard this was going to be. Some days I feel like I barely get any time with Rob and I guess I was just taking it out on you. But it's the same for you as it is for me. If anything, it's worse for you because now you get even less time with Rob because I'm here and...and...I'm just really sorry," he finished in a small voice.

Corey smiled, knowing all too well what Jason was feeling, because there were days when he felt it too. It was so difficult trying to make sure everything was "fair" and "equal." Their relationship wasn't a pizza that could be evenly divided and made equal - it was real life and a lot of hard work and they were all still adjusting to it. Patience and compromise were not things that Corey grew up having to use often, so he understood where Jason was coming from. He reached over and squeezed Jason's thigh. "It's okay - I get it. We're gonna have good days and we're gonna have bad days. We'll work it all out."

Jason smiled at him, happy that Corey was no longer angry, and he vowed that he would work harder on making their relationship run smoothly.

The light changed back to green and they drove back to the apartment building. As they entered the studio apartment, Corey's cell phone chimed to indicate that he had received a text. He pulled it out and read it aloud to Jason. "It's from Rob. It says 'Gotta work late. Don't wait up for me'."

Jason frowned a little at the news. He had been hoping Rob would be home soon, but apparently that wasn't going to happen tonight.

Disappointed as well, Corey tried to make the best of the situation. "Well, looks like it's just you and me again tonight," he laughed. Jason returned the smile. While he wished Rob was there with them, being with Corey was always fun as well.

Corey then playfully grabbed Jason around the waist and lifted him off the ground a bit so he could toss him onto the bed. He then jumped onto the bed himself and a back and forth playful wrestling match ensued with Corey eventually pinning the younger down on his back, his hands tight around Jason's wrists.

"Ha! I got you where I want you!" Corey laughed, enjoying the ability to dominate the situation.

Looking up at him through long-lashed eyelids, Jason asked, "Can I top tonight?"

"What? Uh-uh!" Corey shook his head in the negative .

"Oh come on! Please? Rob will never let me top and all I've done is bottom since we all got together. It's not fair," he whined.

Corey pondered the question. It was true. Rob always insisted on being the dominant and top during sex, so when Jason came along it was a nice change of pace for Corey as it allowed him the chance to top. But he understood why Jason would want to experience it from the opposite position as well.

"Okay," Corey stated with a grin.

"Really?" Jason chirped, surprised at the answer.

"Just this once though," Corey smirked. "And you're gonna owe me!"

Jason nodded and the two began a back and forth of mutual foreplay, rolling around on the bed, kissing and fondling until they were both hard and ready. Jason reached down and grasped Corey's hard erection firmly in his hand, causing a groan to emerge from Corey. He then moved behind Corey and proceeded to replicate all the movements that had been done to him since their relationship had started. He grabbed a bit of lube, placed it on his finger and gently pressed it up against Corey's hole. It felt unusual to be in this position of control and power as he had never been allowed to do so before. He was nervous as he tentatively proceeded, a bit embarrassed, and also concerned at hurting Corey, but he also knew how good it felt to be on the receiving end of it, so he continued to work his finger in an attempt to please his partner. He glanced at Corey every now and again for reassurance. "Use two now," Corey said softly, to which Jason complied.

Upon feeling that he had prepared Corey well enough, he removed his fingers and applied a bit more lube to his own cock. Just as he was preparing to take Corey from behind, he felt himself being flipped onto his back on the bed.

"Hey!" he stated, a bit annoyed. "You said I could do you!"

"You can," Corey smiled as he positioned himself kneeling over Jason's lower half, grabbing Jason's cock and placing it up against his ass. As Corey began to press down, Jason could feel himself slowly entering the tight opening. Corey took his time working himself down and when he had taken all of Jason's shaft, he looked up at him and grinned wickedly.

Jason expelled a puff of air from his lungs as he experiencing his first sensation of being fully inside another male. He closed his eyes as Corey began to do the work of rising and falling. The feeling of penetrating somebody was slightly different than having it done to him, but it was wonderful just the same. Upon opening his eyes, he looked up to see Corey stroking his own erection, back arched and continuing to rise and fall upon Jason's cock. His hair was falling in his eyes and his mouth was half open and Jason was beyond happy that he was capable of making Corey feel so good. If he could satisfy Corey half as well as Rob could, he would be happy with that.

"Mmmmm.....yeah," Corey panted as he continued his vertical bouncing movements.

Knowing he couldn't hold on any more, Jason cried out a warning that he was going to come and then felt himself burst deep inside Corey. Using Jason's orgasm as further motivation, Corey began to thrust himself harder and deeper and within another moment he came himself, leaving a trail of sticky white liquid all over Jason's chest in the process.

Corey bent over to kiss Jason, who in return threw his arms around his neck. All the petty annoyances and disagreements over the last few weeks simply washed away as they bathed in the afterglow of their orgasms.

"I love you, Cor," Jason whispered into his ear as he continued to hold him tightly.

Corey smiled and rolled off of Jason and the two took a moment to catch their breath. He then rose from the bed and walked over to his bureau, rummaged around for a few seconds, and returned, tossing a T-shirt to Jason. "Here," he stated as he tossed it to Jason. "It's yours."

As Jason picked it up, he noticed it was the shirt that they had been fighting over yesterday. He looked questioningly at it. "Why are you giving this to me?" he asked.

"Well, you clearly like it a lot more than me," Corey laughed out loud. "I don't know why though - there's nothing special about it. It's just a cheap old T-shirt that my mom probably bought at Target or someplace like that. Why do you like it so much anyway?" he asked.

"Well..." Jason paused before finishing his sentence, hoping Corey wouldn't laugh at him. "Because when I wear it, it reminds me of you. It _smells_  like you and...and I like that."

"Awwwwww!" Corey stated with a gentle smile, now realizing why having some of his personal items was so important to Jason. He had noticed Jason often taking Rob's T-shirts to wear as well, especially on the days when Rob worked long hours, so it made perfect sense to him now. It was simply something that made Jason feel more secure - and had he known that before, he never would have made such a big stink over a T-shirt he didn't want anyway.

Corey then climbed back into bed and once Jason had donned the T-shirt they curled up under the covers together and fell asleep.

A few hours later Rob eventually entered the apartment, blurry-eyed from being so tired. He kicked off his work boots and pulled his jeans off. As he was about to enter the bed, he paused. There they were, both sleeping soundly, Corey's arm tightly around Jason's shoulder. Rob blinked a few times to be sure he was seeing it correctly. Jason was wearing Corey's shirt, _the_  shirt that had caused such a tirade yesterday. All the swearing and arguing over it...and yet it now seemed that they had resolved everything.

Rob sighed and shook his head as he climbed into the bed himself. ' _I don't think I'll ever understand these two_ ,' he thought to himself.


	32. Baby Steps

Rob pulled into the parking lot of the bank and parked his car. This was it, he thought to himself happily. The real estate agent had notified him this morning that the lots of land were officially up for sale now and he was here to get a bank check to put down as a deposit on the lot he so desperately wanted - the special one near the lake that he had shown to Jason a few months ago. He had been saving and waiting for so long now it seemed almost surreal that he was actually here at the bank to withdraw such a large amount of money.

He entered the bank and proceeded to the first available teller who was a young, attractive girl with long dark hair. Rob always got the impression that she was flirting with him when he came in on Friday afternoons to cash his work check. Her eyes brightened when she saw him approach. "Good afternoon, Robert," she said with a large smile as she adjusted her hair at the same time. "What can I do for you today?"

"I need to get a bank check made out to Huntington Realty," he stated with a smile.

The teller proceeded to process the transaction in the amount requested while making small talk with him about what the check was for and where he was planning on purchasing land. Once the bank check was written, he thanked her and made his way back to his car. He sat for a moment and looked down at the official document. This small piece of paper - this was the ticket to his dream finally coming through. He smiled brightly to himself as he looked it over. Once he dropped it off at the real estate office and signed the paperwork, that piece of land would officially be his and his alone. Aside from the happiness that Corey and Jason brought to his life, nothing else compared to the joy that he felt at this very moment. This was an accomplishment he had waited years for, worked his ass off with blood, sweat and tears for, and it was finally here. Other than the clothes on his back and his shitbox of a car, he had never owned a dam thing in his life, but that was all about to change.

Suddenly, his cell phone rang. He recognized the number as the local college where he had recently taken Jason to enroll for the upcoming fall semester. He answered it and after listening to the person on the other end for a few moments, stated "Yes, I understand. I'll take care of it today for him."

He sighed heavily as he sadly looked back down at the check in his hand. Maybe it just wasn't meant to be. He tried to convince himself that this just wasn't the right time after all and that things happen for a reason. He exited his car and made his way back into the bank and up to the teller who was more than happy to see him again.

"I'm so sorry to have to do this to you," he began apologetically.

"Oh no!" the teller gushed. "It's no problem at all - it's my pleasure actually! What can I do for you now?"

"Small change of plans. Can I cancel this check? I just found out I have to make a payment for my...uh...my younger brother's college tuition instead." The teller entered a few keystrokes into the computer and voided the check for him.

As disappointed as he was, he knew it was what he had to do. There would be other lots of land in the future. Things happen for a reason, he told himself as he left the bank disappointed and headed home.

Upon arriving home and entering the apartment, he noticed Corey on the couch watching TV. "Hey, what's up?" Corey said with a smile. Noticing the dejected look on Rob's face, he rose and walked over to him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Rob shook his head, attempting to force a smile on his face. "Where's Jason?"

"At the library finishing some research paper or something for school," Corey stated. "But I can tell something's wrong, Rob. What is it? Tell me, please?" he pleaded.

Rob let out a disappointed sigh. "I was gonna see the real estate agent lady today. I had a bank check for the deposit right in my hand for her. Then the college called. They said that after the grants and financial aid gets processed for Jay, there'll still be a balance of $5,000 for the year. They won't officially register and enroll him in classes until they get paid so....I guess I'll just put the land on hold for now."

"No Rob! Don't do that!" Corey huffed in shocked surprise.

"I have to, Cor. I mean, I _do_  have more money in the bank, but that's been set aside for the actual construction of the house, which is going to be the expensive part, and I don't want to tap into that if I don't have to. It's fine - I'll just recoop it over the next few months with overtime."

"But Rob, this piece of land might not be there if you wait too long. And you've worked so friggin' hard to get this far!"

Rob nodded sadly. "I know. But what else can I do? I have to make sure he gets enrolled in college. God knows his friggen' mother isn't going to help," he grumbled under his breath.

"Let _me_  help," Corey begged. "I have all sorts of savings bonds and CDs my grandparents gave me when I was born just sitting in a bank doing nothing and..."

"No!" Rob stated harshly. He wasn't about to take charity from his younger boyfriend, even it was being given with the best of intentions. Rob had decided a long time ago that he would do this on his own, with zero help from anybody, and he was determined that was how it was going to be.

Corey paused, knowing full well why Rob was so dead set against any financial help. He knew Rob would consider accepting his money as a sign of weakness and not being able to provide for them; as ridiculous and untrue as that was. Rob was proud and stubborn - a tough combination of attributes to reason with, as Corey had discovered over their time together.

Lowering his voice and placing his hand on Rob's chest, Corey began again, but in a gentler tone this time. "Rob? I love you. We're a team, right? All three of us. You've done so much for the both of us. And even though this house is _your_  dream, you're building it for _all_  of us. We're all going to live there and start our life together. So let me help you. That's what a relationship is, right? It's give and take. If you don't want to take the money, then consider it a loan. You can pay me back every last cent over time if it makes you feel any better. Please? Please let me help?"

Rob looked into Corey's eyes. He knew Corey was right. There was no reason why Corey couldn't help with the deposit if he wanted to; it was simply a pride issue on Rob's part. He despised being dependent on anybody, especially his younger boyfriend. It ate away at his masculinity; even though he knew that was irrational. But on the other hand, he also wanted to get both of his boys out of this lousy, slum of an apartment and in a better environment. And he simply couldn’t do that right now without Corey's assistance.

Corey rested his head on Rob's shoulder and stroked his chest gently with fingers, feeling that he was making some slight progress in breaking down the fortress of a wall that Rob had built. "Please Rob? This is for all of us....me, you _and_  Jason."

Rob wrapped his arms tightly around Corey. He couldn't have asked for a better, kinder, or more compassionate boyfriend. Corey had moved in with him into this dump of apartment, in a bad part of town, and never once complained. He owed it to Corey to give him a better life, as well as Jason. "Okay," he finally said reluctantly. "But I'm going to pay you back - all of it!"

"Okay! Sure! Whatever you want!," Corey stated happily as he placed a big kiss on Rob's mouth. He then noticed that Rob's smile had suddenly turned to a grimace. "What's wrong now?" Corey asked.

"The bank teller...she's gonna kill me," Rob chuckled as he knew he was going to have to ask her to reprocess the bank check.

The two headed back to the bank together and as Rob entered, he secretly hoped he would get the other teller on duty, but that wasn't to be the case. The pretty young brunette's eyes sparkled as Rob approached her for the third time that afternoon. "Well, three times in one day, Robert? I'm beginning to think you're stalking me," she laughed lightly with a flip of her hair as she flirted with him.

Rob smiled uncomfortably. It was abundantly clear that she was attracted to him. He was always uneasy when a female flirted with him as he never quite knew what to say to them. "Umm...well, I _hate_  to do this to you, but can we write out that bank check one more time? I swear it will be the last time," he smiled apologetically.

"Of course! And besides, how could I say no to those beautiful brown eyes?," she winked as she began the transaction again. Rob shuffled his feet uncomfortably as she carried on with some small talk. "So, do you have any plans for this weekend? Besides buying property, I mean?" she asked, hopeful that he would pick up on her drift.

"Umm...no, not...not really," Rob stammered as he attempted to avoid her eye contact.

"Oh, come on! Nobody as tall, dark and handsome as you is going to be sitting home all weekend alone," she prodded with a playful laugh. "You must have a girlfriend?" she asked with a light bat of her eyelashes, hoping he would take the hint and perhaps ask her out if he was indeed single.

Rob began to fidget a bit uncomfortably. He looked over his shoulder at Corey who was seated in a chair in the waiting area, chewing on a lollipop that he had taken from the basket on the table. Corey gave him a smirk and raised his eyebrows in amusement as he was able to hear the entire conversation and knew Rob was becoming very uncomfortable with the teller's questioning.

"I know it's very forward of me," the teller continued when Rob neglected to answer her, "but I'm just dying to know - _do_  you have a girlfriend?"

Rob knew what she was getting at and he was tired of beating around the bush and making excuses anytime he was asked that question by a female. This just seemed like the last straw and something within him decided to finally be honest about his sexuality for once in his life. "Actually, I don't have a girlfriend. I have a boyfriend. I'm gay," he stated very matter-of-factly and looked her directly in the eye.

The teller's eyes squinted a bit as she got the sense that Rob was just being a wise-ass and rudely brushing her off. "Oh, I see," she stated coldly. "You know, if you're not interested you could just be honest and tell me so. It's a whole lot nicer than coming up with some ridiculous lie. I'm not stupid, you know."

Rob looked at her. She clearly didn't believe a word he had just said to her, which made him feel slightly offended as for the first time in his life he was being completely truthful. He turned around and motioned to Corey to come over and when he did, Rob proceeded to put his arm tightly around Corey's shoulder and squeeze him. "This is my boyfriend. I _am_  gay, whether you want to believe that or not. Thank you for reprocessing the bank check. Have a nice weekend." And with that he took the check and left the bank, still holding Corey close, and leaving the teller with her mouth agape.

As they approached the car, Rob felt like a heavy weight had finally been lifted off of his shoulders. He had just publicly declared that he was gay and his affection toward Corey - and it felt so freeing. "Shit, I should've done that years ago...what the hell was I waiting for?" he asked with a laugh.

"I don't know. But I'm really glad that you did!" Corey gave him a large hug about the waist. It felt amazing to have his boyfriend publicly declare his love for him as he had begun to think that that would simply never happen. "But you know, you weren't completely honest with her," Corey continued.

"Huh?"

"You should have told her you have _two_  boyfriends!"

Rob laughed and squeezed him a little harder. "Baby steps, Corey. Baby steps."


	33. Graduation Day

Corey and Rob sat in the crowded auditorium for the almost two hour ceremony. Jason was graduating high school tonight and there wasn't a soul in the building prouder of him than Rob. Jason had first come to him homeless, dirty, beaten and broken...and yet here they were almost two years later with Jason about to walk across the stage, receive his diploma with honors, and ready to begin college in a few short months. It hadn't been easy, but it had definitely been worth all of the time, money and emotional sacrifice that had been exerted by the three of them. 

Rob pulled his phone out as the high school principal slowly made his way through the alphabet and began to announce the M's. He proudly snapped several photos as the name "Jason Christopher Murphy" was announced, to which Corey stood up and screamed as loud as his voice would allow him to. Hearing his boisterous boyfriend all the way from the stage, Jason looked out into the audience and waved his diploma high in the air and smiled at them. 

"Well, he did it!" Corey stated happily as he sat back down. 

"Yeah," Rob nodded. "He did it." He sniffled a bit and blinked his eyes a few times to dry them, making sure to turn his head way from Corey as he did so. He wasn't one to get emotional, but today was a special day and, for just a brief moment, he felt his emotions almost get the better of him. 

As the ceremony ended, Jason made his way through the crowd to where Rob and Corey were seated to give each of them a large hug. Corey patted him on the back and playfully spun the tassel around on his cap a few times. "Good job, buddy. We're so proud of you!" 

Jason then turned to Rob, smiled up at him and embraced him tightly. Jason knew the sacrifices that were made to get him this far. He also knew that Corey had to help with the land deposit so that Rob could pay the balance on his college tuition. Corey had let that accidentally slip a few weeks earlier when they were alone and had made Jason promise not to let on that he knew as it would make Rob feel bad. Jason vowed and swore he would never mention it. "I love you, Rob," he whispered into the other's chest.

They slowly made their way outside of the building where Jason took a little time to say goodbye to some of his classmates and snap some photos with them. As they were about to leave, they heard a woman's voice call out - "Jason?" 

Jason turned around to see his mother standing there. His face went through a quick range of varied emotions - happiness, anger, nervousness, joy, love, hate...and everything in between. She stepped forward, nervously looking at Rob out of the corner of her eye, knowing her last encounter with him at the hospital hadn't ended on a high note. 

"Mom?" Jason began. "Were you in the building the whole time? Did you come to see me graduate?"

Jason's mom nodded and smiled. "Yes, of course. I wouldn't have missed that for the world." 

Rob snorted and rolled his eyes, believing every last word she stated was insincere, but as he saw the smile form on Jason's face he checked his tongue. This was Jason's day and if his mother being there brought him even an ounce of happiness, who was he to ruin it for him? 

"I'm so proud of you," she choked as her eyes filled up. Jason ran forward and gave her a hug - the first hug he had received from her in he didn't know how long. Things between his mom and him had been good at times when he was younger; it was only the deadbeat and abusive assholes she brought into the house as boyfriends that had built a wedge between them over the years. 

Corey and Rob held back a respectable distance while the two had their moment. There were a million things Rob wanted to say to her, but it wasn't the time or the place. Corey put a hand on his back and patted it, knowing the inner struggle Rob was feeling at seeing her step back into Jason's life so casually. 

Most of the crowd had now dispersed and the four of them began walking toward the parking lot. Jason's mom pointed to a car to indicate that was where she was going and as Jason was about to give her a kiss goodbye, a man stepped out the car and yelled angrily "Come on, Lisa! Hurry it up! I haven't fucking got all day!" 

Jason's face turned as white as a ghost and he jumped backwards as if an invisible arm had come out of nowhere and forcibly pushed him. "What are you still doing with him, Mom?" Jason asked in a small, shaky voice, never taking his eyes off of the man. 

The fear in Jason's eyes and voice was not lost on Rob and he immediately knew that this had to be the same boyfriend who had beaten Jason up so badly two years earlier. And without even giving it a second thought, Rob quickly walked up to the man, grabbed him by the shirt collar and punched him square in the face twice, knocking him off his feet and leaving him dazed on the concrete pavement. 

"Jesus, Rob! No!" Corey yelled and sprung forward and pulled Rob back before the man could rise to his feet. He quickly looked around to see if anybody has seen the unprovoked attack, which could certainly have landed Rob in jail for assault.

As Lisa ran toward the man and knelt down to see if he was okay, Jason slowly backed away from the scene. It was like having an old wound suddenly reopened and he felt betrayed by her yet again. On what was probably the most important day of his life so far, she was still choosing an abusive boyfriend over her son. 

"Come on," Corey stated nervously as he grabbed Jason with one hand and pulled Rob along with the other. "We have to go - NOW!"

Jason got into the backseat of the car and forcefully threw his graduation cap onto the floor in a fit of anger. In the front passenger seat, Rob examined his knuckles which were split and bleeding. Corey threw the car into drive and sped out of the parking lot as fast as possible, wondering to himself how such a perfect day had turned so bad in the blink of an eye.


	34. Best Birthday Ever

"...48...49...50," Rob counted out loud and exhaled as he placed the dumbbell weight down that he had been bench pressing. He had been waiting for Jason and Corey to emerge from the bathroom for quite a while now and had decided to work in few extra reps so as to not completely waste his time.

As he reached for a different set of weights, he stopped and looked down at his bruised knuckles which were close to being fully healed now. It had been a week since Jason's graduation and every night since then Corey had pulled him into the bathroom to delicately clean and dab the split skin with a cotton ball dipped in alcohol. Once that was done, Jason would place a small amount of Neosporin across his knuckles, apply a sterile piece of gauze over the top, and secure it with a piece of adhesive tape - whether Rob wanted it done or not.

Rob smiled to himself as he recalled the endearing act that had repeated itself for seven nights in a row, no matter how much he protested; no matter how many times he complained that it would heal on his own and that he didn't want them fussing over him. But he had to admit, it was certainly nice having two boyfriends who were both so caring and concerned with his well-being.

As Rob began another set of arm curls, he glanced over at the clock, wondering why on earth it took these two so long to get ready. When Rob exited the shower, he simply ran a hand through his damp hair and let it fall where it may. He couldn't see the point in wasting time in front of a mirror like the other two did. But Corey was a self-proclaimed "Master of Mousse" and would meticulously scrunch his mop of curls until they were just so. Jason himself had become a whiz with the blow dryer, always making sure that a thick chunk of blond hair fell over one eye at the precise angle he wanted.

The door to the bathroom finally opened and the two emerged, now sufficiently coiffed and ready to go out for the evening. Rob shook his head in dismay at the time they needed just to primp and preen themselves in the mirror lately, but inwardly admired how adorably handsome they both were. He knew heads would turn in their direction tonight, which made him both proud and jealous at the same time at the attention his boys always drew. But at the end of the night, he always knew they were going home with _him_ , so for that reason the extra time they took getting ready was worth it.

"Oh! Are the divas finally ready? Fabulous!" Rob stated sarcastically, but with a broad smile as he placed his weights down. "Let's go!"

Corey walked past him with a dramatic toss of his head, causing his perfectly arranged curls to bounce about. "Hey, it takes time for us to look as hot as we do," he grinned as Rob playfully batted at his head. "Hey! Watch the hair!" Corey laughed as he dodged Rob's hand.

Tomorrow was Jason's 18th birthday, but since tomorrow was also a Monday, Rob would most likely be working late, so they were heading out to celebrate tonight instead. Jason had been a little out of sorts this past week since the incident with his mother's boyfriend, so Rob was hopeful that tonight would cheer him up and put a smile back on his face. Jason had chosen to celebrate his birthday at the club they often frequented as a live band was performing tonight that both he and Corey liked.

The three headed out and once they had arrived at the club they found a table for themselves and, as usual, Rob took a seat and stayed put while the other two went off to dance and have fun. As the night wore on, Jason made it a point to glance over at Rob and smile, just so he didn't feel forgotten. He really wished that Rob would allow himself to enjoy life a little bit more. Life was more than simply working and paying bills, but sometimes it seemed that Rob didn't quite get that. Jason tapped Corey on the arm, said something in his ear, and motioned for him to follow him back to the table. Once there, he grabbed Rob by the hand and stated "Come dance with us, please?!"

Rob shook his head no, as he always did, but Jason had already decided he wasn't going to take no for an answer tonight. "Please, Rob? Please? Just for a minute," he begged. "It's my birthday - you _have_  to!" Jason gave him his best "puppy dog" eyes that he could, complete with a pouting bottom lip, knowing that Rob would be hard-pressed to resist that, while Corey joined in and grabbed Rob's other hand to coax him out of his seat.

Rob rolled his eyes and sighed, knowing he wasn't going to be able to get out of this one quite so easily tonight. While there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for either one of them, gyrating on a dance floor and looking like a fool wasn't on his top 10 list of things-to-do this evening.

As Corey and Jason pulled on his arms and got him into a standing position, Jason consoled him by saying, "Just _one_  song, Rob - that's it. Okay? Please? For me?" He looked up through thick, long lashes, hoping that his pleading would get Rob to agree. One look at the sudden softness in Rob's eyes let him know that it had worked. Jason had learned what buttons to press over the last few months to coax Rob into almost anything.

Rob smiled down on him. How could he ever say no to that face? Plus, it was the first real smile he had seen on Jason's face in a week, and if looking like a complete idiot made Jason happy on his birthday, well then so be it. Rob allowed himself to be dragged off to the dance floor where, to his surprise, the experience wasn't half as painful as he had expected. Between Jason and Corey bouncing around and grinding up against him, Rob barely had to move, which suited him just fine. It seemed that the simple act of him just _being_ there out on the dance floor with them was enough to make them happy, even if his dance moves were sorely lacking.

True to his word, once the song had ended Jason released him from his obligation. He put his arms around Rob's neck and said "Thanks, Rob. I know you don't like dancing with us, so thank you for doing it tonight."

Rob slipped one arm around his waist, and his other around Corey's to pull him in as well before replying. "Well, it's just that I much prefer watching  _you_  two dance, that's all," he grinned as he gave them each a squeeze.

"Hey, you guys wanna head home now?" Corey asked, feeling a bit all danced-out by this time. "I made Jason a birthday cake."

"Oh yeah!" Jason chirped, having forgotten that he still had a home-made cake awaiting him at home. That, together with the added bonus of actually getting Rob out on the dance floor with them, was turning tonight into his best birthday ever.

The threesome headed home and once there, Corey opened up the refrigerator and removed a plate that had been covered with a large piece of aluminum foil to conceal his masterpiece from prying eyes earlier in the day. "Voila!" he stated with much fanfare as he removed the foil and held the plate up.

Jason looked at the cake with wide eyes. Corey had baked it from scratch, frosted it, and then meticulously decorated it with mini peanut butter cups, Oreo crumbles, Hershey kisses and sprinkles.

"Wow. That looks like a diabetic's death wish," said Rob as he stared at the crazy amount of candy Corey had used.

"I love it! Thanks, Cor!" Jason stated happily, which produced a large smile from Corey. He sliced up extra large pieces for both he and Jason, with Rob insisting on a slice so small for himself it hardly seemed worth eating.

As Rob took his fork and removed the excess candy pieces from his cake, he looked on with a bit of amazement at how Corey was able to consume such a large slice and stay so skinny. "You know," Rob stated, "if I ate half of what you do in a day, I'd be as big as a house."

"I geff I haf a high mefabalism," Corey mumbled through a mouthful of cake.

Once they had finished their cake, Corey and Rob brought out a few small gifts for Jason. It was nothing big, but Jason hadn't been expecting anything other than spending the night at the club together.

"Sorry for the shitty gift wrapping job," Rob stated as Jason tore the paper off each box. His face showed that he was perfectly thrilled to have gotten some new clothes, a new cell phone case he had been wanting, and a soft fleece throw for when they watched movies together on the couch as he was always cold.

Rob took notice of the expression on his face as he opened up each item, holding each one up to admire it, gushing out a thank you to both he and Corey. The smile on his face would have made one think that Jason had opened up a box containing a million dollars instead of the simple ordinary items that were inside. The smallest of things seemed to make Jason happy - he was easy that way.

"Thanks guys!" Jason stated happily as he looked at the assortment of items they had purchased and wrapped up for him. "I love everything!"

"You still have birthday sex coming to you too," Corey reminded him with a grin. "I think we should do something different tonight, don't you, Rob? He's 18 now. Toy box?" he asked hopefully.

Jason's ears perked up. He knew they had a "toy" box, but as of yet they had not used any of the items inside of it with him. Rob still thought he was on the young side and wanted to wait, but Corey had already informed him of most of the items inside the box.

"He's technically not 18 till midnight," Rob replied.

Corey snorted. "Who cares about technicalities? We've been sleeping together for months now. It's time." Jason walked over to the bed and sat down, nodding his head in agreement.

Rob smiled at them, knowing he was outnumbered 2 to 1 for the second time this evening, and walked over to the bed, reached down underneath it, and pulled out a box. As he lifted the cover, Jason strained his neck a bit to see the contents within. Rob ran his fingers over some of the items inside. Many of them he didn't feel were right just yet for Jason...maybe in time, but not right now. His fingers paused for a moment on a pair of hand cuffs. These were one of Corey's favorite toys, but they didn't seem quite right yet for Jason. After perusing the items for a few seconds more, Rob eventually pulled out some dark blue satiny strips of material instead. They would do the same thing as the cuffs, but were far more comfortable and slightly less threatening. He walked over to the bed and sat down beside Jason, holding the strips of material in front of him to look at.

"Do you know what these are for?" he asked as he gestured to the items in his hand.

"I think so," Jason grinned. Of course he knew what they were for - what a silly question!

Corey plopped himself down on the bed on the other side of Jason. "Do you wanna use them tonight?" he asked hopefully.

Jason nodded. He knew Corey and Rob had a kinky side to them and it was high time they let him in on the fun as well. He didn't need to be treated like a baby any longer. If it was good for Corey, then it was good for him as well. And while Jason wasn't fully sure whether he would like the restraints, he would never know unless he tried.

Corey was the first to strip down and remove every article of clothing on him as quickly as he could, followed by Jason and then Rob, who was always more intrigued at watching the other two. The three participated in a back and forth of playful foreplay with kissing, fondling and grabbing until Rob rose to a kneeling position and looked directly at Corey. He didn't say a word, but Corey knew exactly what he wanted.

Corey rolled onto his back and placed his arms above his head. Rob took one of the satin strips and tied one wrist to the spindle on the headboard of the bed. "Just one wrist tonight," Rob whispered in his ear as he took a few seconds to suck at the skin on the side of Corey's neck and collarbone. "Now you," he stated as he looked at Jason.

Jason followed suit and laid his naked body down directly beside Corey, raising one arm above his head as well. Rob hovered over him and, using the second strip of material, restrained him to the headboard in the same manner he had done to Corey. "There," Rob whispered as he gave Jason the same attention to his neck as he had Corey. "I have you both where I want you," he grinned shamelessly.

Jason felt his heart flutter at the strange sensation of suddenly being restrained. He pulled lightly on his wrist to test how securely he had been tied. He imagined if he tried very hard he could probably have pulled himself free...IF he had wanted to...but he definitely didn't want to. He glanced over at Corey lying beside him, arm tied securely above his head as well, and eyes already heavy with lust and desire as he stared at Rob.

Rob leaned back on his heels as his eyes traveled over each of their young, lean bodies. He took in the creamy color of their pale skin, the outline of their ribs, the dips and angles of their backs when they arched, and their lower limbs tangled together. "I'm just gonna let you two have a minute together, okay?"

Corey took his cue and rolled onto his side to face Jason. With his one free arm he grabbed Jason from behind the head and began to kiss him roughly. He got as much arousal from kissing Jason as he did from knowing that Rob was watching their every movement.

Taking Corey's lead, Jason took his own free hand and explored his boyfriend's body as he pleased, running his fingertips over his nipples, over his sharp hip bone, across the soft curve of his ass, and eventually using his thumb to rub the sensitive tip of Corey's penis, forcing a low growl out of the latter's throat.

Rob, for his part, was enjoying it all unfold before him. He watched as Corey took one leg and wound it around one of Jason's and pulled him in, causing their bodies to contort and almost seem to become one. He loved the deep arches that their backs produced as they writhed around, their tongues darting in and out of the other's mouth, each of them only able to move so far as they were both partially restrained to the headboard.

Rob reached over to grab his cell phone so he could snap a few pictures for himself. If it wasn't for his own physical needs becoming abundantly clear by his rock hard erection, he could have watched them do this all night long. But even he had his breaking point, and they had just about pushed him to it.

"Okay," Rob panted, seemingly out of breath just by the show that was being performed for him, "My turn." He straddled them both and went back and forth between each of them, making a conscious effort to not give one any more attention than the other. Reaching up, he untied the satin strip around Corey's wrist, allowing him to come free. Jason waited, assuming Rob would do the same to him. But to his surprise, Rob simply took his other arm, raised it above his head, and used the second tie so that both of his arms were now fastened.

Corey sat up and knelt beside Rob so he could get a better view of Jason in his current situation. Jason looked up at the two, a little nervous, but aroused at the same time as things weren't playing out as he assumed they would have.

Feeling Jason might enjoy a little display of boyfriend-on-boyfriend action as well, Corey began to kiss Rob while his hands roamed freely over the oldest's well-defined chest and abdominal muscles. Rob returned the gesture, grabbing Corey's ass firmly and roughly, leaving no question in any of their minds who maintained all the control within this threesome. Jason's eyes took in every seductive movement that was exchanged between the two. The longer he watched their hands on each other, the more he wanted their hands on HIM. It was HIS birthday, after all, and here he was tied to the headboard and at their mercy as to when they would move their affection onto him. A soft whimper escaped from his mouth, catching their attention.

"Are we neglecting you, baby?" Rob rasped as he leaned over Jason's restrained body, the younger's full-on erection not going unnoticed by Rob.

Jason nodded yes and smiled gratefully as Rob leaned over him, using his tongue to travel up and down the side of his body, slowly and sensually. Rob paused when he got to the appendectomy incision on Jason's side and spent a few moments licking and kissing the healed pink scar.

Corey took over the other side of Jason's body, providing long licks and occasionally stopping to suck a bit and leave purplish-red marks on his skin. Jason closed his eyes and simply allowed the feeling of the two warm, wet tongues travel about. Even with his eyes closed he instinctively knew whose hands were whose traveling across his body. He squirmed a bit, occasionally trying to adjust his body so he could receive the best sensation, but the restraints upon his wrists only allowed so much. He cried out in pleasure as he felt two warm tongues gently sucking and flicking his engorged cock.

"How fucking adorable is he all tied up, huh Cor?" Rob asked in a low growl, causing Corey to lean in and whisper something in Rob's ear. Jason couldn't hear what it was, but it had caused Rob to pause a moment, as if thinking it over very carefully. But before Rob had formed an answer, Corey had wriggled himself around so that he was partially behind and underneath Jason. Jason could feel the hardness of Corey's erection pressing up against his hole, just begging to be let inside, but before doing so they waited for Rob's permission.

 _'God, I fucking love them,_ ' Rob thought to himself as they both looked up at him waiting for his say-so and approval. One set of deep green eyes and one set of ocean blue staring seductively at him - eyes that adored him and would do anything for him. Rob smiled at them both and gave the nod, allowing it all to proceed under his watch.

Corey adjusted his position beneath Jason and moved the other's legs to where they suited him and began to press upwards until he had entered that sacred space. All three let out a soft moan as Corey initially penetrated him - Corey and Jason from the sensation of heat and tightness, and Rob from the visualization alone.

From his kneeling position, Rob took hold of Jason's ankles and lifted his legs high into the air and spread them. From here, Rob could look down and see what was, to him at least, the most beautiful thing on earth - one of his boys fucking his other boy. He stared down hard, wanting to burn the image into his brain forever. He then reached for his cell phone again, knowing that this particular shot, at this exact angle, was far too hot to risk not saving it forever. He snapped a few pictures, to which Corey and Jason seemed oblivious to.

"You remember the safe word, don't you?" Corey whispered in his ear. Jason nodded his head, although he didn't understand why he was asking him that tonight. Just at that moment, he felt Rob pressing at his opening, attempting to gain entrance as well. Jason's eyes snapped open, now realizing why Corey had wanted to remind him of the safe word. Jason looked up at Rob who had temporarily placed his ankles on his shoulders so he could apply a generous amount of lubricant around Jason's bottom. They would need a little more tonight than they usually did.

Rob adjusted Jason's hips, causing Corey to pull out slightly. From this position, Rob grabbed onto both his and Corey's cocks and lined them up. He pressed both of them slightly against Jason's ass and waited to see how easy, or difficult, it would be for him to accept both of them at once. "You're gonna take both of us tonight," Rob said in a low voice.

Jason threw his head back and took a deep breath. Taking both of his lovers at once was something he very much wanted to do, but he wasn't fully sure he was capable of it. Rob was tough enough to take on his own, much less adding Corey into the equation.

Sensing his hesitation, Corey whispered in his ear. "It's okay. We'll go slow. Just relax." Rob turned his head to the side to lightly lick Jason's ankle bone that was still resting on his shoulder.

A slight shiver of fear rippled through Jason's body. While he knew they would never hurt him, being tied down instinctively brought out the instinct of fight or flight. As his heart rate doubled and he felt the very beginnings of what he could only assume might be a panic attack, he made eye contact with Rob. Rob hadn't made any further attempt to enter him and was giving him the time he needed.

"You okay?" Rob asked.

"Umm...yeah. I think so."

Jason felt the pressure building near his bottom until he knew that both heads of their cocks had entered him. He thought he knew what "full" felt like from his first experience of ever having taken Rob, but this was a whole new level of full. It was slightly uncomfortable and he feared if either of them tried to push in any further he might actually have to say the safe word.

Rob, however, had no intentions of it ever getting to that point. He had been on the receiving end of being double penetrated numerous times when he was younger and he knew how quickly it could turn bad if care and consideration wasn't given to one receiving it. There was no way in hell he would ever hurt Jason, and so he watched him carefully for the signs and only when he saw that Jason had slightly relaxed did they proceed. After what seemed like an eternity, Rob could see that Jason had taken almost all of Corey and himself. A wide smile spread across his face at the sight of it.

Rob reached for his phone again, which he had kept on the bed close to him so he could grab it again if need be. One more picture - and this one would be his most treasured. A perfectly gorgeous view of Jason's stretched hole being double fucked by both he and Corey. He snapped two, just to be safe, making sure to get his boys fucked-out facial expressions in the second shot. They both made the most beautiful faces when they were getting fucked.

Jason whined and let out a cry of pleasure tinged with pain. One of them was touching that special place within him, he wasn't sure if it was Rob or Corey, but he knew with just one or two more hits he would coming and nothing could stop it.

Jason clenched his fists into tight balls as he tugged on the restraints, causing the headboard to bang off the wall several times. He felt his orgasm bubbling up inside him. A few incoherent words and moans became to spill from his lips, and then he started to explode. Thank God for Corey's hand that was already firmly tugging his cock and milking it dry as Jason couldn't reach for it himself.

Rob rolled his head back at the sight of Jason coming all over himself and coming undone in the process. He saw Jason's body go limp and his muscles untense, which then allowed he and Corey to finish. Keeping Jason's legs spread wide apart by holding onto his ankles, he and Corey to and fro'd inside Jason's limp body for another minute, feeling the tightness of his ass as well as each other's cock rubbing against their own.

"Oh fuck! Fuck, I'm gonna come inside you, baby!" Rob groaned, causing Jason to nod his head and whisper "Mmmmmm...come inside me, please?"

Corey removed his hand from Jason's now softening cock and wrapped both arms around his chest as he too began to pump his load deep inside him. He whispered filthy swears into Jason's ear over and over again as he came. Jason was so physically drained, but he managed a smile as he felt both of his boyfriend's orgasms create strong pulsations deep inside him as they came hard. He knew that when they eventually withdrew from his body he would have more cum inside him than he could handle, the thought of which made him smile even more.

Rob pulled out first, grabbing a nearby T-shirt so that when Corey pulled out he could catch the pool of cum that was sure to begin streaming out of Jason's ass. Jason continued to lie limp and partially across Corey, allowing Rob to handle the lovely mess they had created. Once the stream of exiting cum had slowed down and stopped, Rob tossed the T-shirt on the floor and leaned over Jason.

"You did really good, baby," he stated, proud that his youngest boyfriend was capable of doing what he did. "You really surprised me tonight," kissing him on the forehead.

"Yeah," Jason stated sleepily, "and I didn't even have to say 'hippopotamus'."

Rob looked perplexed for a moment, but then Corey stifled a snort. He winked at Rob, happy that his safe word had stuck in Jason's head, whereas Rob's choice clearly had not.

Rob gently laughed as well at the misunderstanding. Jason was so friggen cute and precious, and the best of it was that he didn't even realize it. Rob then laid down on one side of Jason and began to settle in for the night. As he adjusted the blankets to make sure his boys were both covered, he glanced over at the alarm clock on the nightstand. It read 12:07 a.m. "Happy birthday, baby" he said softly into Jason's ear.

"Awwww!" Corey replied, noticing the clock as well. "Happy birthday, Jay. Was it the best birthday ever?"

Jason just nodded and smiled, far too exhausted to do anything more. But it was, by far, the best birthday he had ever had.


	35. Oscar

Jason and Corey heard the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs. They quickly closed the bathroom door to conceal what they were hiding. It would be best to make sure Rob was in a good mood before they showed him what was behind the door.

Looking tired as hell, a smear of dirt and grime across his face and sweaty hair stuck to his head, Rob kicked of his work boots and practically fell onto the couch. He wanted, no _needed_ a shower, but he was so sore and tired he wasn't sure he would even get to it tonight. The overtime he was putting in to make sure he had enough money to complete construction on their new house was taking its toll.

The younger two quickly sat down beside him. "Are you hungry Rob? I made mac and cheese for dinner - you want me reheat yours now?" Corey asked.

"Nah. I'm not hungry. I'm too tired to eat. All I really want is a hot shower."

Jason's eyes opened wide. They couldn't let him into the bathroom for a shower just yet. "Ummm....so....tell us all about your day, Rob! Uh, how was it? What...what did you do?" his speech too fast and stammering, setting off a red flag for Rob.

Rob raised an eyebrow at him, knowing something was off, but answered the question anyway. "Well, if you really want to know, I loaded up a shitload of concrete bags onto the truck. Then I unloaded them when we got to the work site. Then I carried lumber back and forth for a while. And then, as the special highlight of my day, I shingled a roof single-handedly as my helper just up and quit with no notice."

Jason laughed nervously as he chewed on his finger and looked at Corey. Today might not have been the best day to spring this on Rob.

"If we're done with 20 questions, I need a hot shower," Rob stated as he started to rise from the couch, only to be pushed back down again by Corey.

"Um...um..." Corey stammered while trying to stall a little. "Why don't you have something to eat first?"

"I told you Cor, I'm not hungry," Rob replied with annoyance, and attempted to stand again.

"Wait!" Jason blurted, putting his hand on Rob's chest to keep him seated. "Um...what if I just get a warm washcloth and bring it to you? Then you don't even have to get up?!" The nervous smile on his face completely gave it away that they were up to something.

Rob glared back and forth between the two. "All right! What the fuck is going on here? Tell me now!"

Dejected, and knowing he couldn't stall any more, Jason rose from the couch and proceeded to walk to the bathroom and opened the door.

"Now...don't get mad Rob," Corey began, trying to mediate and sooth the situation before Rob got upset, which he knew without a doubt he would.

Jason emerged from the bathroom holding something in his arms. Rob had to blink a few times to make sure he was seeing it correctly.

"Is that a...a cat?" he asked incredulously. "A fucking cat?"

Jason nodded and gave him a weak smile. "I'm pretty sure he's a stray. He has no collar and he's been sleeping under the front steps of the apartment building all week."

Rob looked at the gray colored feline with disgust. He wasn't an animal person, and most definitely not a cat person. "Get that filthy thing out of here!" he stated adamantly. "It's probably got fleas!"

Jason clutched the cat a little closer. "But...but...but..."

"No buts! I don't want a cat in here. Put it outside."

"No!" Jason shouted back, knowing as soon as he did he had made a mistake, but this was important to him. He stepped a few paces closer to Rob so that he could show him the cat better and lowered his voice. "He has nowhere to go, Rob. He was hungry, so I fed him, and now he wants to stay. He likes me. I knocked on every door in the building to see if he belonged to anybody and everyone said no. He's really sweet Rob, if you just give him a chance."

"Absolutely not, case closed. We're not taking some stray in. The last thing I want is another mouth to feed. Put him out - we're not discussing it any further."

Jason stood his ground as the disagreement carried on. "You wanted to put me out the first night I came here. Do you remember? You told Corey to drop me off at a police station. You called me a stray too!" Rob winced a little at being reminded of the way he treated Jason that first night. "But then you got to know me and...well...I'm just saying...maybe if you give Oscar a chance too..."

"Oscar? " he scoffed. "You named the friggen thing already? How do you even know it's a male?"

"He has balls," Jason happily explained as he held Oscar up and presented his rump for Rob to examine. Rob quickly turned his face away in disgust, really not needing the visual aid that had been provided.

Jason continued on. "I got a litter box from Mrs. Falasca in apartment 2E - she had an extra one. And she gave me a few cans of cat food until I can get him some. I took a cardboard box and put a towel in it to make him his own comfy bed. See?" Jason pointed to a box on the floor in the corner that had been carefully arranged with a thick and fluffy light blue towel folded in half.

"That's one of our good towels Jason!" Rob bellowed as he looked inside the box.

"I'm gonna get a job so I can pay for his food, litter, toys and stuff and...."

"Yeah," Corey interjected. "We need a bus boy at the restaurant on Saturdays. I can get him in, I know I can."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! You're both getting way ahead of yourselves. Look, why don't you take a photo of...." he paused for a moment as he frowned at the intruder. "Oliver?"

"Oscar," Jason corrected.

"Yeah, whatever. Take a photo of him and print up about 50 copies with our phone number on it. Then hang them up and down the street. Hopefully somebody recognizes him and calls. Then we can rid of it."

"And if nobody calls for him? Then what?" Jason asked hopefully.

"Let's not worry about now, okay? Just print the flyers up."

Corey smiled and nodded at Jason. They had won the battle, but not the war. But at least Rob was agreeable to Oscar staying for a few days at least while they attempted to find his owner. Perhaps in that time they could get him to warm up to the idea of having a cat. It was doubtful, but they were going to give it their best try.

Jason sat Oscar on the couch beside Rob and pulled his phone out to get a good photo of him. "Smile, Oscar!" Jason directed as he snapped the photo, causing Rob to roll his eyes.

As Jason and Corey moved to the kitchen table to download the photo to the laptop and make flyers, Oscar and Rob were left on the couch together, each glaring at the other. Rob looked at the feline as it if carried the Black Plague and Oscar's opinion of Rob didn't seem much better. The cat took a few tentative sniffs at this new angry person he had just met and then jumped off the couch and wandered over to Jason and Corey, where he promptly rubbed his head against their legs and wrapped his body and tail around their calves.

Rob snorted to himself. "I didn't want to sit next to you either," he mumbled softly under his breath.

*******************************************************************************

  
Rob checked his phone for a text. Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

It had been just over a week since they had posted the flyer concerning Oscar, and they hadn't gotten a single inquiry. Jason had been getting anxious as the days went by, not knowing whether Rob would allow the cat to stay or whether he would insist that they drop him off at an animal shelter. Rob had been avoiding the question, telling Jason to just wait one more day, but at some point even he realized they had to make a decision on the cat's residency.

"Ummm...Rob?" Jason asked, nervously fidgeting with the strings on his hoody as he sat on the coach beside Rob. He secretly wished Corey wasn't at work so he would have some backup.

"Yeah."

"Are you gonna let me keep Oscar now? He has no family. I think we should. He needs us."

Rob sighed and frowned. He had really been hoping somebody would claim the cat and their problem would be solved. "Look Jay, I'm not exactly a cat person. The apartment is too small and I think he'd be happier at a shelter with other cats, don't you?"

Jason was ready with his answers as he had prepared and rehearsed them over the last few days. He already knew the excuses Rob would give as to why they shouldn't keep Oscar, and he was ready for the debate.

"You just haven't taken the time to get to know him yet, Rob. He's really sweet. And you didn't like me much at first either, remember?"

Rob rolled his eyes.

"And we'll be moving into the house soon. There'll be plenty of room there so he'll never be in your way."

Rob huffed and scowled.

"And the shelter is a HORRIBLE idea! If he doesn't get adopted they'll end up putting him down, Rob! They'll kill him!" Jason's voice choked on those last few words.

Rob glanced over at his youngest boyfriend. He and Corey were such soft-hearts. And while there would be no love lost on the stray cat if he went to a shelter, even Rob didn't want to see the poor thing put down. He sighed as he pondered it over for a moment, rubbing his forehead with one hand as he was prone to do when trying to think.

Jason had seen the gesture dozens of times. He also knew if he played his cards right and pushed the right buttons, Rob was very close to being persuaded to giving in. As much as Corey knew how to read Rob _in_  bed, it was _out_  of bed that had become Jason's secret talent. He bent down to pick up Oscar and then slid over closer to Rob. Holding the cat in front of his face, Jason held one of Oscar's paws and moved it so that it was lightly stroking Rob's cheek. "Pweeze Wob..." Jason mimicked in his best impersonation of what Oscar might sound like if he could speak. "Pweeze? Wet me stay, Wob? I be good! I pwomise!"

Rob lightly brushed the offending cat paw away from his face, but he had the beginnings of a small smile forming. Jason immediately knew he was going to allow Oscar to stay.

"Okay, but there's gonna be rules."

Jason nodded his head, willing to accept any and all terms. He would do anything to keep the cat.

"You keep his box clean at all times. If I come home and smell cat shit, he's OUTTA here! And you take care of buying his food with the money you make bussing tables on Saturday. But if your grades start to suffer you have to quit and Oscar leaves."

Jason readily agreed to all the requirements. He put Oscar down on the floor and climbed onto Rob's lap to give him a big hug. "Thank you Rob. You won't be sorry, I promise. I'll take care of him all by myself."

Rob embraced him back. He loved it when Jason crawled into his lap like this. Sure, Jason had him wrapped around his little finger and they both knew it, but it was a small price to pay. And while he wasn't particularly happy about having another roommate living with them, he knew Jason was over the moon - and there wasn't much that Rob wouldn't do to keep either of his boys happy.


	36. It's Not Fair

Rob stood in front of the closet holding a large trash bag in one hand while he tossed a winter glove into it that had somehow lost its soulmate. He was attempting to clear out as much clutter as possible now before the big move so they would have an easier time packing up the apartment. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Oscar sitting about four feet away staring at him and carefully watching his every move.

"Why does he always look at me like that?" he asked uneasily.

"Like what?" Jason replied from the couch.

"Like he's sizing me up or something? Or he's plotting to murder me in my sleep."

Jason laughed out loud at Rob's paranoia. "He's just trying to figure you out, that's all."

Having grown bored of watching the clean out of the closet, Oscar gave a large yawn and headed over to his bed for his fourth nap of the day, leaving Rob much relieved that he could finish his chore without the uncomfortable stare-down.

Jason looked down at his phone to read a text that came in. He smiled and stated "Hey, I'm gonna hang out with some friends tomorrow night, okay?"

Rob stopped what he was doing, placed the trashbag down, and turned around. "Which friends? Do I know them?"

"Uh...I think so. I think you might have met them at my graduation."

A look of concern came across Rob's face. He didn't know any of Jason's friends very well and the thought of them being out at night in this neighborhood was always a concern to him. It wasn't the he didn't trust Jason, it was everybody else that concerned him. "Where are you going? Whose driving? What time are you going to be home?"

Rob shot off question after question before Jason even had time to answer the first one. "For crying out loud, Rob! What the fuck?! Why are you still treating me like a baby? I told you I was just going to hang out with some friends and you're giving me the third degree!"

"I need to know where you are and who you're with."

"Why? You don't do this with Corey!"

"Of course I do."

"Oh yeah? Then tell me, whose Corey out with right now? Huh?"

Rob opened his mouth and then paused, realizing that he had never asked Corey where he was going before he left the apartment. For whatever reason, Rob never felt the same level of concern when Corey was off on his own as he did with Jason. His relationship with Jason had started off with him acting as guardian, and even though they were now intimate, some aspects of their initial relationship dynamics remained in place.

"It's not fair," Jason stated with frustration as he rose from the couch and walked closer to Rob.

"You're kidding me, right?" Rob was beginning to tire of the petty bickering.

"No. I mean, you totally treat me different. Like I'm some sort of baby - and not just when it comes to this stuff either." He paused, considering if he should bring it up or not. "I know you use the toy box with Corey when I'm not home. But you NEVER do with me - why? It's not fair!"

Jason folded his arms across his chest in a huff and puffed his cheeks, looking very much like a spoiled toddler. Rob chuckled to himself at the irony of it all. Jason was complaining about being treated like a baby, when he in turn was acting just like one.

Rob stepped closer to his frustrated boyfriend and reached behind his head to grab a handful of hair, yanking it just enough to cause Jason's head to move, but not hard enough to actually hurt him. He eyed him up and down, then in a low voice stated "I don't know, Jay. I don't think you could handle me when I really get going."

Jason scowled at the comment. "I can handle anything Corey can," he huffed.

"Really? You're sure about that?"

Jason nodded, although the tone of Rob's voice definitely had an air of caution to it.

Rob grabbed him by the arms and directed him over toward the bed. There he quickly pulled Jason's shirt off and yanked the jeans off his legs in mere seconds, leaving him standing there fully naked, aside from his socks. Rob ran his fingers up and down Jason's sides and then pulled him in tightly, one arm around the small of his back and the other hand behind his head. Rob had such a tight vice-like grip on him Jason began to wonder if he was being extra rough just to prove a point.

Just then, Jason felt his body being spun around by the shoulders. He was forcefully pushed forward so that he was bent over the bed with one of Rob's strong hands planted firmly in the center of his back to keep him down in that position. He immediately felt a finger enter his ass and winced at the force and speed at which it went in. He was used to Rob taking his time with him, but Jason knew he had asked for this so he couldn’t exactly complain now.

Jason took a deep breath and tried to relax himself, not sure what Rob had in mind for the night, but knowing it would be something they hadn't done before since he had now opened his mouth. He felt Rob remove his finger so he could bend down and pull the toy box out from underneath the bed.

"Who said you could turn around?" Rob barked when he saw Jason looking over his shoulder and trying to see what he was going to grab. Jason quickly turned his head back around. The next thing he felt was a gag coming across his mouth which was then tied tightly behind his head. He grunted slightly in protest, but Rob ignored the muffled sound. He then heard the sound of the zipper on Rob's jeans go down and heard him kicking his jeans off behind him He obediently remained in the semi-bent over position, his arms bent and on the bed, his butt slightly in the air as his feet remained on the floor. He knew not to change his position until told so.

He felt Rob's erection at the crack of his ass, gliding up and down and leaving a slickness behind that he knew was pre-cum. Jason closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling it brought him. He anticipated Rob entering him at any moment and he was on pins and needles as he waited for it.

_SLAP!_

Jason eyes sprung open at both the sound and the painful sensation that he felt on his right butt cheek. He instinctively turned his head around to see why Rob had slapped him.

"Eyes forward!"

Jason immediately turned his eyes forward and balled his fists as he felt another sting to his bottom. He wanted to tell Rob to stop, but all he could get out was a muffled groan through the gag across his mouth.

Rob slapped him once more and then rubbed the now pinkened cheek with his hand to lessen the sting. He leaned over Jason's body and got close to his ear. "You like that?" he asked. Jason shook his head in the negative, which produced a small chuckle from Rob. "Hmmmm....maybe you should've thought of that before you started bitching about how I treat you differently, huh?"

Jason felt his balls being squeezed by Rob's palm, kneading and massaging them firmly in his hand. He closed his eyes as _this_  felt so much better than the spanking he had just received.

Again Jason felt the warm breath of his partner as he spoke by his ear. "These," Rob growled as he firmly squeezed the set of balls in his fist, "...these are mine. You understand?"

Jason moaned and felt he could have almost come simply at the words Rob chose - words that indicated that Jason belonged to him fully, body and soul. There was something about being a submissive in this relationship that was arousing and erotic to Jason and he relished in the control that Rob always demanded. When Jason neglected to reply, Rob tugged on his scrotum again and repeated himself, but louder this time. "I _said_  these are mine! You understand?"

"Mmmm hmmph!" Jason murmured through the gag and shook his head up and down to indicate his understanding of the claim. He was so close to coming just by the control Rob displayed and from the adrenaline it set off inside of him. His body ached to be owned and controlled by Rob.

Rob stood back up and proceeded to press his cock up against his younger partner's hole, only going in an inch or so and then pulling out and repeating, which he knew was driving Jason insane. He watched as Jason arched his back, bucked his hips, and grabbed at the blanket on the bed with his fists. He was trying to say something, but through the gag it was next to impossible to decipher it. Rob's best guess was that he was moaning the word "please," but he couldn't be certain.

"You like that baby, huh? You want more?"

Jason shook his head up and down frantically, indicating that he did.

Rob pulled out completely, applied one more loud slap to Jason's now bright red ass, and forced himself quickly into his boyfriend's eager hole. Jason exhaled loudly at the quickness of it all. He felt Rob's hands grab him about the hips to keep him in the exact position that he wanted. As Rob thrust himself forward, he in turn would pull Jason's hips backwards, which created a slapping noise of skin-on-skin in the otherwise quiet apartment.

"Kneel," Rob ordered. Jason then knelt on the bed with both knees bent, still presenting his ass for Rob to use however he wanted to. He could hear Rob rummaging around in the toy box again but didn't dare turn to look back this time. He felt the bed dip slightly as Rob placed one of his knees on the bed and entered him again, but this time at a slightly different angle. He felt one of Rob's hands around his neck and jawline, holding him tightly and possessively.

"Uhhhh.....fuck!," Rob thrust himself forward as he pulled Jason back towards him. "You want me to come inside you, don't you baby? You're just a little cum slut, aren't you? You fucking belong to me...don't you ever forget that!"

Jason knew he was so close to coming. Rob had never talked to him like this before and he loved it. He had also never been fucked so hard in his life and while one part of him was getting off on it, another part of him was beginning to feel a bit roughed up and slightly sore. His body was being jostled about like a limp rag doll. He could feel Rob's breath on his neck, swearing every now and then and calling him the most filthy names, which only helped drive him closer and closer to orgasm.

Jason threw his head back and opened his eyes to indicate to Rob that he was about to come. "Yeah, come for me, you little cock slut...show me how much you love my huge cock up your tiny little ass." Jason began to orgasm hard and long before Rob had even finished his words, moaning through the gag as best he could. In fact, it seemed his orgasm lasted longer this time than any other. He sunk his head down on his arms as he finished the ride. Rob released the tight grip he had had on his neck and returned both of his hands to Jason's hips so he could come himself. As he pounded into him hard, Jason's limp body simply responded to how Rob was pulling and pushing him. He could hear the skin-on-skin slapping again and wondered how much longer his tired body could hold out, and how much more of a beating his ass could handle.

A loud groan emerged from Rob which was a relief for Jason. He remained still while Rob pumped his seed deep inside him for what seemed like an eternity. A small smile formed on Jason's face as he felt a strong twitch inside his ass with each release of his older boyfriend's cum. He felt a few hazy kisses being placed on his back as Rob muttered a few incoherent words he couldn't quite hear, but Jason knew that he had made him come good and hard.

Jason felt the gag finally being removed from his mouth. He felt Rob slowly pull out, but then immediately push back in. But something felt slightly different this time. He looked over his shoulder to see Rob standing a few inches away and was not inside of him at all - but yet he clearly knew something was in his ass. The confused look on his face said it all to Rob.

"Go ahead. Feel," Rob suggested with a smirk.

As Jason reached his hand around, he felt something small and hard poking out of his body.

"It's a butt plug."

Jason raised himself up on his knees, making a face at the unusual and new feeling within his bottom.

Rob knelt on the bed beside him and put his arms around his waist to explain. "You're gonna wear it all day - it's gonna keep my cum inside you. We're gonna go out later and you're gonna walk around in public with it. Nobody else will know that you're marked or that you're carrying my cum inside you...but I will." Rob grinned and smirked as he explained the plans for the evening.

Jason felt his stomach flutter a bit at the thought. There was something naughty and dirty about it that appealed to him. "Does Corey do this for you?"

"Uh-huh. You remember your graduation night?" he smirked.

Jason's eyes opened wide. He had had no idea.

Rob pulled him down onto the bed and held him tight. Jason felt himself simply melt into the strong arms around him. Maybe it was petty, but he felt like he and Corey were on equal ground now. All the things that Rob enjoyed doing with Corey, he could do with him as well. A large grin formed on his face as he thought about going out in public later. Not a soul would know the dirty little secret he was holding inside of him.


	37. Hauntings from the Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is mention of past childhood abuse/prostitution in this chapter.

"I'm sorry - I couldn't hear you. What was that? Yeah, okay."

Rob desperately strained to hear the person on the other end of the phone as the bickering in the apartment grew louder and louder by the second. A week of rain had pushed back the timeline of the construction on the house and he was trying to get all the updates he could. The house couldn't be ready soon enough for Rob - they had clearly outgrown the tiny apartment and the stress of living in such close quarters was taking its toll on all of them. Rob placed a finger in one ear in an attempt to block out the quarrel that was still going on 10 feet away from him, but it did little to muffle it.

"I did it yesterday! It's your turn!"

"No it's not!"

"Yes it is! It's your turn!"

"You always do this! You know it's not my turn!"

Rob rolled his eyes and realized he needed to momentarily excuse himself from the phone call. "Could you hold on just one second? Thanks." He put his hand over the receiver as he gave his best attempt at "yelling" in a hushed voice. "Knock it off! I'm on the phone! What the fuck is wrong now anyways?"

"Corey needs to take the trash out. I did it yesterday!" Jason shouted.

"No you didn't! I did!" the other retorted and the bickering started up again.

Rob grabbed the trash bag that was placed between them on the floor, picked it up, and shoved it forcefully into both of their arms. "BOTH of you take it down to the dumpster - NOW!" The glare he gave them let them know in no uncertain terms there was no use in arguing anymore. They each grabbed a handle and begrudgingly headed out the door with the trash, each muttering under his breath at the other. Little squabbles like this were breaking out far more frequently between the three. The dresser drawers were filled to their capacity and clothing was now being stored in cardboard boxes on the floor. Nobody had any personal space and each day that passed felt like the apartment was growing smaller and smaller to them. And the addition of Oscar wasn't helping either. One of the cupboards was now filled with cat foot and treats, causing them to have to store their cereal boxes on the small kitchen countertop due to lack of room. The apartment felt like it was about to burst at any moment.

Once Jason and Corey had returned from the dumpster, they found that Rob had finished with his phone call and was writing out some bills at the kitchen table. Jason glanced down at some papers which didn't look like the usual bills he was used to seeing each month. "What are these?" he asked as he picked them up.

"Job applications," Rob stated. "I was thinking about checking out some other construction companies, but you can just throw them away."

"How come?" Corey asked.

"How come? Here - let me show you." Rob took the applications and pointed to a line on each one. "That's how come! Each one wants to know your highest level of education. As soon as they see that I'm a drop out, my application will go into the nearest trash can."

Jason pulled a seat out and sat down at the table. "You know you can get a GED, right? They offer it at the high school. You can go nights or even do it on line. And we could help you."

Rob rolled his eyes at the suggestion.

"Yeah," Corey piped in. "We could totally help you. Then you'd be able to get more promotions and get the pay you deserve."

"No!" Rob replied. "Look guys, I'm not what you'd call _smart_ , if you haven't noticed. I haven't been to school in years, and even when I went I didn't do well. Maybe I could pass the English part of it, but I don't think I could ever pass the science or math sections. All that crazy trigonometry and calculus shit you were doing Jay - I could never do that."

"You don't need any of that for the GED, Rob. Just some basic algebra and I can help you with that! Please let us help you?"

"No, all right? I said no! End of discussion!" Rob pushed his chair back hard as he got up and walked away in frustration, leaving the other two at the table simply looking at each other. Jason wished Rob wasn't so hardheaded all of the time. There should be no shame in him accepting their help, but Rob was so dam proud and stubborn and he would never allow it.

Realizing that he had blown up at them unfairly, Rob turned around and sighed. "Look guys, I'm sorry. I appreciate the offer - honest to God I do. It's just...I don't have the time right now for a GED, okay?"

Corey and Jason nodded their heads, disappointed that he wouldn't accept their help. They wanted the best for Rob and they didn't understand why he always sold himself short. He was so much smarter than he gave himself credit for, but he refused to see it.

"Hey, why don't we get out of this place for a little while tonight, huh?" Rob stated in an attempt to change the atmosphere of the apartment. "With all the rain lately we're all going stir crazy in here and getting on each other's nerves. What do you say?"

"Yeah, let's go out!" Corey chirped happily, already back in a good mood.

The three headed out for the evening and after some back and forth they decided to check out a local Chinese restaurant that also had a comedy club on the second floor. Rob figured that would be the perfect place to unwind, relax and maybe find something to laugh about, which was something they all really needed. After some food and a 90 minute show full of laughter, all three felt much better than they had earlier.

Once the show ended, they headed down a large staircase which spilled out onto a large lobby with a connecting bar area that was quite crowded with lots of people milling about. As they bypassed the bar to make their way to the exit, Corey realized Rob was no longer with them. He stopped and turned around, only to see Rob standing as still as a statue, as if frozen in place, and staring off in the distance.

Jason turned around as well to see what Rob was staring it. He seemed to be transfixed by somebody at the bar area, but there were so many people it was difficult to tell exactly whom. As they approached Rob they could see he was visibly upset. His jaw was set tightly and firmly, his fists were balled up, a grimace appeared on his face, and he was trembling ever so slightly. He seemed to be momentarily paralyzed by whatever was in his field of vision and his eyes were just beginning to gloss over as if fighting back the sting of tears.

"Rob?" Corey asked as he put a hand on his shoulder. "You okay?" When he didn't receive an answer, Corey tried to follow Rob's gaze and it seemed that he was staring at a man who was probably in his early 50's. He was in a business suit and talking to a few other men at the bar. There didn't seem anything unusual about the man or his appearance, but clearly something had triggered Rob.

"Come on, Rob," he said gently as he placed a hand on his back to guide him toward the exit. "Let's go home."

Rob suddenly seemed to snap back to himself and immediately bolted toward the exit, causing Jason and Corey to have to run to catch up to him. Once outside, Rob bent over at the waist as if trying to catch his breath and took a few gulps of the night air to calm himself.

Jason nervously shifted his weight from one foot to other, having never seen Rob this upset. "What's wrong, Rob? Are you okay?" His voice cracked with concern.

"Yeah, let's go home. I need to get away from here," Rob replied as he handed Jason the keys to the car, knowing he was far too upset to get behind the wheel. The car ride was silent, with both Jason and Corey knowing that he would most likely never tell them what the problem was. That was the way Rob was - closed off and secretive about most aspects of his past.

Rob entered the apartment and immediately layed down on the bed and began rubbing his forehead with one hand as if trying to soothe an oncoming stress headache. Jason and Corey layed down as well, one on either side of him, and simply wrapped an arm around their oldest boyfriend in an attempt to comfort him as best they could. They were at a complete loss as to what had happened or why.

"Can you talk to us about what just happened?" Corey asked tentatively. "You know we're here for you, don't you?" Rob wasn't one to share his inner most feelings, but he wanted to ask anyway. And to his surprise, Rob began to slowly speak after a moment.

"When I was a kid, I had a best friend. His name was Scotty. I used to hang around his house a lot after school because...well, because there was always food there and his house was clean and it was just a nicer place to be than where I was living. His mom was always there - she was really nice to me. Usually his dad would be at work, but every once in a while he would come home from work early. I probably only met him two or three times."

Rob took a breath and continued on.

"Anyway, I think I told you both that I ran away from my last foster home for good when I was 14. I ended up living with this guy, doing what he wanted me to do out on the streets to make money, but I was still managing to go to school for the most part. But this one night, the guy drives me to this shitty motel where most of his clients liked to arrange their hook-ups. I'd been there before, so I didn't think anything of it. He tells me what motel room door to knock on and so I did. But when the door opened...it was Scotty's dad."

Jason and Corey both gasped lightly as they continued to listen intently.

"For a second I thought he would recognize me, but he clearly had no idea who I was. I got so freaked out - this was my best friend's dad that I was there to take care of sexually. I think I almost got sick to my stomach, you know? I mean, this guy had a wife and family back home, and here he was in this flea bag motel, paying money to fuck around with a minor."

Rob paused again as his voice cracked.

"I thought about running back to the car and not going in, but I knew if I did that I get a beating for it. So I just went in...I...I...I didn't know what else to do," he stammered, growing visibly upset as each word clearly brought back every disgusting detail of that night. Jason and Corey squeezed and stroked his arms and chest to let him know they were there for him.

"The whole time I was there, all I could think about was Scotty. He was my best friend in the world...and his dad was fucking me in a motel room. Oh my fucking God!" Rob retched and leaned forward as he put both hands over his face as the recollection was just becoming too much for him to process. He heaved several heavy breaths until he was able to continue.

"When I left that motel room, I knew I could never go back to school. There was no way I could ever look Scotty in the face again after what I did. And I never saw him again after that," he finished with his voice catching.

"Oh Rob," Corey said softly while placing his forehead against his. "It wasn't your fault. You were just a lost kid with nobody looking out for you. Don't blame yourself - he was the one that was wrong, not you."

Rob quickly wiped a few tears away, not wanting his boys to see him as weak and broken, or not in control. "Yeah, well anyway, that was Scotty's father at the bar tonight. I'd know his face anywhere. It's been burned in my brain like a scar that will never go away."

He laid back down on the pillows and pulled each of his boys in tight to his chest as each of them took turns trying to console him and tell him how much they loved him. And to his surprise, Rob felt slightly better after unloading some of his emotional baggage. He knew Jason and Corey still loved him regardless. In fact, there was nobody in the world who loved him more.  Until the two of them had entered his life, he had simply assumed he wasn't worthy of love or happiness.  He thought for a few moments about that before speaking again.

"I'm gonna sign up for that GED course," he stated very matter-of-factly.

Jason and Corey's eyes opened wide as they looked at each other and smiles formed on their faces.

"I'm so fucking sick and tired of being shit on, being passed over and looked down upon my whole life. I want better for myself - I want better for us. So, if you guys are still willing to help me..."

The other two cut him off before he had even finished his sentence. "Yes! Yes! Yes! Of course we'll help you!" they both laughed as they snuggled up to Rob tighter and held him close.

Rob kissed them each on the head as he rubbed their backs. He had never thought he would amount to anything. It was only through falling in love with these boys that made him realize he had to strive for better; if not for him alone, then at least for the three of them together.


	38. The Final Night

Jason and Corey busied themselves packing up the last of the boxes. Tomorrow they would be officially moving into their new house. Jason placed several bath towels into the box, only to find Oscar jumping in on top of them. "Come on, buddy - go find something else to do, okay? We're busy," Jason stated as he removed the disgruntled cat and placed him back on the floor.

"Aarrggh!" Rob slammed his fist down on the kitchen table for the third time this hour.

Jason looked up from his boxes and over at Rob, who was clearly frustrated as he tried to prepare for the next test in his GED class. Jason abandoned the remainder of the packing to Corey and sat down beside Rob in an attempt to explain the algebra that he was struggling with again. It had been a few weeks since his GED classes started and while he was doing well overall, he still needed some help from Jason or Corey from time to time with some of the unfamiliar material.

"Why the fuck do I need to know that x equals y?" Rob blurted out as he threw his pencil down. "How does this stupid shit help me when I'm shingling a roof? It doesn't!"

"You're right - it doesn't," Jason consoled him as he placed a hand on his back and rubbed up and down gently. "But you need to know this to past the test. So let's go over it again."

Corey smiled to himself as the study session wore on and he continued to fill the last few boxes with the remainder of their linens, towels and toiletries. "There! I think we're officially done packing!" he stated happily as he taped up the last box and pushed it by the door with the others. He looked around at the now clutter-free apartment. The only things still left in place were the bed, couch and kitchen table which would be loaded onto Rob's work truck in the morning. All the cupboards, drawers and closets were packed and tonight would be their last night in the apartment.

As Corey plopped himself down on the coach to rest, he remembered with disappointment that they had already turned the cable off in preparation for the move. Without anything to watch on TV, he called Jason over, who was just finishing up with Rob. "We've got no TV. We'll have to entertain ourselves tonight," he grinned as he pulled his younger boyfriend down onto the couch and play wrestled with him.

Rob kept his head down and continued to go over the math problems he was trying to work through, choosing to ignore the chatter and laughter coming from the couch.

Corey looked over his shoulder after a few minutes to see if Rob was paying them any mind, and when he saw that he wasn't, he whispered in Jason's ear. If anybody needed a break it was Rob, and Corey was determined to pull him away from his studying for at least a few minutes. Their shirts quickly came off and over their heads and their horseplay picked up slightly. Corey pushed Jason down on the couch and crawled on top of him in order to dry hump him. A loud giggle from Jason caused Rob to turn around to see what they were up to now.

Rob shook his head at their antics and turned his focus back to his math book.

Upon seeing that they still hadn't captured his attention, they moved on to Plan B. Some over-exaggerated moaning and groaning ensued, and Rob looked over again impatiently. This time he saw Jason's pants pulled down to his ankles, with Corey sucking furiously one on testicle. "Come play with us, Rob!" Jason stated overdramatically with a theatrical toss of his head.

"Do they have a drama club at your college Jay? Because you really should join. You're over-acting is atrocious."

Jason mocked being disappointed and then laughed out loud.

"Oh come on Rob! Take a break for a few minutes and play with us," Corey whined. "It's our last night here - we need to go out with a _bang_!" and laughed loudly at his intended pun.

Ignoring their request, Rob attempted to get through the end of his assignment, but the over-the-top antics and commotion of the other two just feet away was beginning to get to him. It was next to impossible to concentrate on his homework with the giggles and grunts coming from the couch.

As he turned for the third time to look at them, Jason was biting his lower lip and running his forefinger up and down his now completely erect penis as Corey carried on gently licking his balls. Even Rob couldn't withstand that image. He grinned as he tossed his pencil down and joined the other two on the couch, mentally telling himself that a 10-minute sex break wouldn't do any harm.

The other two happily separated to allow Rob to sit in the middle and they immediately got to work tearing off his shirt and pants. The both knelt on the floor in front of Rob and took turns at orally pleasing him, each greedily trying to nudge the other out of the way when one felt the other had had a long enough turn. Rob placed a hand on each of their heads and stroked their hair; one long and blond and the other curly and sandy brown, and looked longingly at them as they each jockeyed for position to please their oldest boyfriend. Having one dick and two eager mouths fighting for it gave Rob's ego a much needed boost. This was SO much better than algebra he thought to himself with a smile.

Upon being nudged out of the way one too many times, Jason decided to climb back on the couch and claim Rob's mouth for his own. Rob quickly sucked in the other's tongue and enjoyed the warmth of it as Corey's mouth pleased him on the other end. Life couldn't possibly get any better than this he thought. As Corey came up for air, Rob put a finger up to Jason. "Wait just one minute, okay baby?"

Jason nodded, knowing that he was going to give Corey a few minutes of attention first. It had taken some time, but he had finally learned to have patience when he needed to. Most of the time their sex involved all three at the same time, but once in a while Rob liked to give them each a little individual attention.

Rob pulled Corey up on the couch, laid him down and crouched over him. He grabbed Corey's cock in his hands and began stroking and fondling, every once in a while sliding a finger over his asshole in a teasing manner. Jason watched for what seemed like an eternity on his end of the couch, patiently waiting for his turn, when Rob repositioned himself by flipping on his back and putting Corey above him and in a 69 position. As Rob took Corey's cock into his mouth, he motioned with his hand for Jason to move in behind Corey and Jason jumped at the chance to join in.

As Rob and Corey 69'd each other, Jason positioned one of his legs on the floor and the other on the couch so that he could semi-kneel behind Corey and enter him. He spit on two fingers and placed them inside, scissoring them the way he knew Corey liked. The moans coming from Corey could have been from Rob sucking him off, but Jason chose to believe they were due to his skilled fingers.

Jason then pulled out his fingers and entered Corey's nicely prepared hole. Most of the time Jason was on the receiving end and was used to being submissive with either Corey or Rob topping him. But once in a while he got the chance to top Corey and it was always an unexpected pleasure.

Lying on his back, Rob enjoyed the view from below. As he continued to deep throat Corey, he could see Jason's body to-and-fro'ing as he entered and exited Corey's ass. The three formed an almost in sync rhythm between themselves. Rob reached up to run his hand along the inside of Jason's thigh, using his middle finger to glide up and tease his asshole. He closed his eyes as Corey began to suck harder on him. All his senses were fired up - sight, taste, sound, touch and smell, all swirled together courtesy of his two boyfriends.

Corey continued his blow job on Rob while rolling his hips back slightly in an attempt to get Jason to hit that special spot that he wanted. Between Jason pumping his ass and Rob sucking his dick, Corey was the first to come. Within another minute Rob and Jason joined him, and then they all collapsed on the coach, limbs tangled up with each other's.

"Fuck that was good! I have to get back to my homework though," Rob stated after catching his breath and reaching for his pants.

"Not for too long. We're gonna do round 2 in the bed," Corey smirked.

"Jesus Christ you two! You're gonna kill me with all this sex!"

"Yeah, but what a way to go, huh?" Corey laughed and kissed Rob as he was placing his pants back on.

Rob settled back in at the kitchen table, determined to plow through the rest of his studying. He glanced over once more before starting to see that Corey had pulled a throw blanket out of a box and tossed it over himself and Jason while they snuggled on the couch quietly. Rob smiled at the sight of his two boys in each other's arms, lightly talking in a whisper so as to not disturb him. Life was finally seeming to be heading down the right path...his GED, the house, and their relationship - everything seemed to be lining up perfectly.


	39. As One Door Closes, Another One Opens

Jason placed Oscar in the cat carrier and locked the metal door, much to the feline's dismay. Oscar meowed loudly in protest at his imprisonment. "I'm sorry buddy. I can't have you running around while we're packing the truck. I'll let you out as soon as we get to the new house, I promise."

Jason stepped out of the way as Rob and a few guys he worked with picked up the heavy couch and carried it down three flights of stairs. They then came back to disassemble the bed and kitchen table and loaded them on the truck as well. Jason and Corey had been designated to carry down some of the lighter boxes, but even with that their legs were beginning to feel like jelly after a few dozen trips up and down the stairs.

When the last of the boxes and furniture had been packed, the threesome stood in the now empty apartment, aside from Oscar in his carrier who would be the last to go. It looked so strange and foreign to see the apartment like this.

Rob scanned the room with no regrets. He had moved in the day he turned 18, just over five years ago. Now 23, he recalled how happy he was that day, even though he had to sleep on the bare floor as he didn't have a bed or a shred of furniture yet. The apartment has served its purpose - it had gotten him away from a toxic relationship, a dangerous profession, and on the path to independence, and for that he was grateful. But there would be no love lost on this dump by him. Rob had always hoped for better and he was not going to look back.

For Jason, however, his feelings were quite the opposite. As much as he was excited to move into the new house, this had been both a home and safe haven to him for the last two years. It had served as a comfort zone for him and he was going to miss it. "Aren't you guys gonna miss this place?" he asked softly with a touch of melancholy.

Corey snorted. "Are you friggen kidding me?! No way! I can't get out of here quick enough." And with that he was the first to exit and quickly began descending the stairwell for the final time.

Jason scanned the apartment once more, a feeling of sadness washing over him. This was the only place that had ever felt like "home" to him. The first place he knew he would be safe, cared for, fed and loved. It's where he fell in love with Corey, and then Rob. It's where he first had sex with them. He had gotten his driver's license, graduated high school, and gotten his first job all while living here. For all its faults, this apartment meant much more to Jason than Corey or Rob would ever understand.

Jason's eyes dropped to the floor where he could still see the large, dark red blood stain that had permanently marked the wood floor from when he passed out and hit his head a year and a half ago. Rob had scrubbed and scrubbed, but he was never able to get it all out.

Noticing what he was looking at, Rob walked over to where he was standing and put an arm over his shoulder. "They're probably gonna keep my security deposit over that, you knucklehead!" He then reached up and ruffled his mop of hair. "Come on Jay. Grab that dam cat and let's go," Rob stated as he exited the apartment as well.

"Yeah, one second," Jason said softly as he picked up the cat carrier and began to leave. He then stopped and turned around one more time. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and snapped a few photos of the now abandoned apartment. He blinked his eyes a few times to keep the stinging at bay, then walked out of the apartment and closed the door for the final time.

**********************************************************

Corey pulled his car into the driveway of the new house. He, Jason and Oscar had trailed behind the moving truck that contained Rob and his friends from work. As they arrived, they could see that most of the furniture had already been unloaded off of the truck and was being brought into the house.

Rob stopped them both at the front door. "Hold on guys, okay? I want to bring you both in at the same time, but not until Mike and Matt leave, okay?"

As Rob grabbed one end of the headboard of the bed, Jason thought he heard him direct Mike and Matt to put it in the guestroom. That didn't make any sense to him as they were planning on sleeping in the master bedroom, but he didn't question it. It was Rob's house after all.

Once done unloading the truck, Rob thanked the two guys from work, gave them each some cash for their time, and said goodbye. As soon as the two men had driven away, Rob turned to them and smiled. "Okay guys. You can come in now!" He opened up the front door and made a grand gesture with his arm, stating "Ta-da!"

Jason and Corey anxiously walked through the door. They hadn't been allowed to see the house since the initial framing of it as Rob had wanted it to be a surprise for them. Rob had been back and forth multiple times, had picked out carpet colors, paint for the walls and kitchen appliances, but the other two had been basically left in the dark as to its progress.

"Wow!" Jason exclaimed as he stepped in and placed the carrier on the floor. He unlocked the door and Oscar poked his nose out tentatively to sniff the unfamiliar air. Jason had a mental image of what the interior of the house was going to look like by Rob's drawings, but the reality far exceeded his imagination.

They stood in the large living room and looked up at the high ceilings. There was a beautiful fireplace against one wall and a large bay window that let in a large amount of sunlight. Rob had gone with a neutral color scheme with cream colored walls and the gray rug with flecks of maroon in it gave the room a warm and cozy feel to it.

Rob grabbed each of them by the hand, anxious to show them all the small details of the house that he had been working on for so long. They entered the dining room, which was empty aside from the multiple boxes that had been brought in off the truck and pushed up against the wall. "So we'll eventually get a dining room table. I just want to wait a few months to make sure I can make the mortgage payments without a problem." Corey and Jason nodded as they were then dragged off into the kitchen.

Aside from their old kitchen table that had just been inserted, the kitchen looked like something out of a Better Homes & Gardens magazine. There were all new modern appliances that were shiny and never used. The counter was a beautiful marble with flecks of blue and gray in it with a tiled floor that complimented the color scheme. The kitchen itself was almost as big as their old apartment. Jason took it all in wide-eyed.

They then made their way back into the living room, which is when Corey noticed the focal point of the entire room - the spiral staircase. "Wow Rob, I hate to admit it, but that's really nice," he stated as he admired it the striking oak steps that wound their way up to the second floor.

Rob smiled and they made their way up to the second floor, taking a left as they got to the top. The first room they entered had Rob's workout bench and weights already in place. "This is gonna be my workout room, obviously! I want to get a treadmill, stationary bike, maybe a punching bag eventually." The other two nodded and smiled as Rob was clearly very excited about having his own place to exercise.

They then headed toward the guest bedroom and as they entered it, they could see that their old bed and bureau had been set up. Jason looked confused as he knew the master bedroom was supposed to be down the other end of the hall. "This is going to be the guestroom," Rob stated, "not that we'll probably ever have any guests, but just in case." Jason and Corey looked at each other with bewilderment, and then instantaneously the same thought entered their minds like a lightbulb switching on. They each dashed down the length of the hall to where the last bedroom was located and ran inside.

"Whoa!" Corey exclaimed. "Is this a king?" he asked as he performed a belly flop on the huge bed.

"California King," Rob stated happily. "I'm sick and tired of getting elbowed and knee'd in my sleep by you two. I had the furniture store deliver it yesterday to surprise you guys."

"It's huge!" Jason chirped happily as he admired the size of it. Something caught his eye above the bed and as he looked up, the smile on his face grew even wider. "It's my skylight! You remembered!" he shrieked with delight as he hugged Rob tightly about the neck.

"Yeah, I remembered you wanted that."

Corey, still laying on the bed, looked up and frowned a bit. "Now, if I was in charge, I would have gone with a huge mirror instead."

"Does your libido ever shut off?" Rob asked with a chuckle.

"Nah," Corey snorted.

"Come see the bathroom guys," Rob stated as he lead them to yet another room.

"Whoa! Check out this shower Jay!" Corey stated as he slid open the frosted slider glass door to reveal an enormous shower stall. Jason had never seen a shower so big before. There were two over-sized shower heads, one at each end so that nobody would be left out in the cold were they to all shower together. There were grab handles strategically placed, as well as a built-in bench at one end that could comfortably seat two of them at any one time.

"Wow - you thought of everything!" Corey laughed. "It's even got a sex bench!"

"I wanna test it out!" Jason chimed in as he started to peel his T-shirt off.

"Hold on - hold on! I've got one more thing to show you," Rob laughed at their over excitement.

They exited the bathroom and Rob pulled back the vertical blinds back in the master bedroom to reveal a large sliding glass door that lead out to the deck he had talked about wanting so badly. The three stepped outside to admire it. "Eventually we'll get a little table and three chairs to put out here for us, but isn't it perfect?" he asked as he gestured at the view. They all leaned on the wooden railing and took in the scenery of their new backyard. They had a perfect, unobstructed view of the lake, flanked by trees and green shrubbery. Rob had been right - this was the perfect lot to build a house on.

Jason looked out at the calm and serene lake, the water only disrupted by a group of ducks swimming by peacefully. The house had far exceeded his hopes, and as much as he would miss the apartment, he was quite sure that he would soon feel just as home here as well.

"I love it here, Rob. Thank you," he whispered under his breath.

Rob then stepped in front of the other two and pulled a small box out of his jeans pocket.

Corey gave him a funny look, realizing immediately that it was a jewelry store box in his hand. "You gonna ask both of us to marry you?" he laughed.

"Uh....not exactly," Rob stated as he ran one hand through his hair nervously. "Look. I really love you guys. I know I don't say it enough, but I do. I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for the both of you and..." he paused and tried to find his words as he opened up the box which revealed three identical gold bands.

"Today is a really important day for me...for all of us. I've wanted this house for so long - and I've wanted to give you guys a better life." He picked up one of the gold bands and held it out so they could examine it. It had the inscription R~C~J on the inside as well as the date. "So each band has our first initials inscribed on the inside and today's date. I did that because today is the first day of the rest of our lives together. And, I guess you could say these are...um...", Rob stumbled as he tried to think of the right word, "...commitment rings."

Rob took a band and put one on Corey's finger, one on Jason's, and then finally put the last band on his own finger. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you two, and I really hope you guys feel the same. These bands are just something that will remind us of that every day when we look at them."

Corey looked at the ring thoughtfully, then raised his head. "But...you know that people will ask why we all have the same band on, right? What are you going to say when they ask?"

"The truth." Rob's face was serious. He had been through so much in his young life, had overcome things that were at one time close to a life or death situation, that trying to keep their thruple relationship a secret simply didn't make sense to him anymore. If people didn't understand, or didn't approve, then that was their problem. He was the happiest he had ever been in his life and he wanted to acknowledge who he was in love with, just like anybody else would.

Jason and Corey looked at each other and then each stepped in to wrap their arms around Rob. "So is that a yes? You'll wear the rings?" Rob asked with a laugh.

"Yes!" Corey laughed as he planted a kiss on Rob's lips.

"I'm never gonna take mine off," Jason muffled happily, his face buried deep in Rob's chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, for anybody still reading, first of all thank you! And even though this would be kind of a nice place to leave them, I have one more little hurdle for them to conquer. So about 4 or 5 more chapters before it comes to a close.


	40. Plan W

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~Timeframe~ One year later.  Rob is now 24; Corey is 21; Jason is 19 

It was coming upon the threesome's one year anniversary since they had moved into their house. Jason was now in his sophomore year of college, while Corey was finishing up his senior year. Rob was still stuck in the same position, at the same pay, and seemingly working more than ever.

For the most part, life in their new home had been going well. After Rob had given them all matching commitment bands to wear last year, Corey had confessed to his parents about Jason being a part of his and Rob's relationship. He had assumed his parents were going to hit the roof when he told them, but in actuality they were not at all surprised. There had been subtle hints that something was going on that hadn't gone unnoticed by Corey's mom and dad - Jason snuggled up far too close to Rob on the couch when watching a movie together after Sunday dinner at their home, or Corey planting a quick kiss on Jason's neck when he thought his parents weren't looking. There had been enough indirect clues thrown at them that the news wasn't as much of a surprise as it might have been. And while Corey's parents certainly had their concerns about such a relationship, they had grown to love Rob and Jason very much. As far as they were concerned, as long as the three boys were happy, then they would be happy and supportive of them.

The main issue over the last year had simply been finding time to spend together as a thruple. They had all assumed once the house had been built that Rob's overtime would stop, or at least be less, but that hadn't been the case at all. If anything, it seemed like he was working more now than he ever had, which had begun to cause some friction between the three.

Corey sighed as he got up from the couch for the fifth time to go look out the front window and see if Rob was home yet. "Nope, still not home, Oscar," he stated as he returned to the couch where Oscar only cared enough to open one eye. It was 9:00 p.m., dinner was hours ago, and it had been dark out for a while. Just then, Corey noticed headlights shining through the front window, heard a car pulling into the driveway, and a moment later Rob entered the house.

"Hey, Cor," Rob stated as he kicked off his work boots into the hall closet. "Sorry I'm so late. I had to enter some shit into the computer at work before I could leave."

Corey scowled. "Isn't that the secretary's job?"

Rob rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I thought so too, but she left early today and there was nobody else that could do it."

"Why is it always you?" Corey asked with frustration. "If somebody's sick you pull a double. If the secretary is out you handle the phones and paperwork. If the supervisor is out you cover for him. But when's the last time you got a raise? Or even a day off for crying out loud!"

Rob frowned. They had had this discussion several times over the past year. He knew he was overworked and grossly underpaid for what he did, but he was hesitant to move on. The economy had taken a dip and even though he had his GED now, he was afraid of losing his benefits and overtime. Several local companies had had to resort to partial lay-offs and he considered himself lucky to have a job at all right now, so he didn't want to rock the boat. Plus, making the mortgage payment each month was harder than he had originally thought and changing jobs was a risk he simply couldn't afford to take right now. His priority had been, and always would be, keeping a roof over his boys' heads and that was simply what he was going to do.

"I don't want to talk about it right now, Cor. I'm tired." He glanced around the living room. "Where's Jason?"

"Not home yet," Corey stated.

Rob frowned upon hearing that. Jason had gotten a job in the bookstore at the college he attended, which was fine, but instead of coming home after work, he had been spending more and more time on campus as of late. Most of the friends Jason had at school lived on-campus during the school year and he had been hanging out in the dorms more and coming home later and later it seemed. Between Rob's work hours and Jason spending most of his time at college, it was rare that all three were home to spend any quality time together.

Corey heated up Rob's dinner that was now ice cold and then they retired to the living room to watch TV. Corey had begun to doze on the couch with Oscar curled up in his lap, but as the time ticked by Rob grew more and more agitated. It was now after 11:00 and Jason still wasn't home. This wasn't just inconsiderate, it was selfish. He had texted Jason several times and every text had gone unanswered. Rob went between being simply annoyed to being panicked and nervous, hoping that he wasn't hurt somewhere and unable to get to his phone.

At 11:13 p.m. Rob heard a car door shut outside and Jason entered the house. He rose quickly from the couch and blurted out, "Where the hell have you been?!"

"I was at school," Jason replied.

"There aren't any classes that end at 11 o'clock at night Jay! Where the hell were you?!"

Corey had now woken up and had joined Rob.

"Jesus Christ!" Jason shouted. "I was just hanging in the dorm with a few of my friends - what's the big deal?"

"The big deal is we didn't know where you were! You could've been dead on the side of the road for all we knew! Have you ever heard of answering a text or phone call? If I remember right, I pay the bill every month for that cell phone you have. Maybe you should learn how to use it?" Rob's face had reddened from anger.

Jason set his jaw tightly and glared back. He despised being treated like a child. Sure, maybe he should've sent a text, he'd admit to that, but he didn't see what the outrage was about. Every other sophomore in college seemed to have the freedom to attend a dorm party, and yet he got grilled about what he was doing and where he was every single night. He stormed off and headed for the spiral staircase to go upstairs when Rob reached out and grabbed him by the back of the shirt and pulled him back.

"We ain't done here!" Rob barked out as he looked into Jason's eyes which were unusually glassy looking. "Are you high?!" he asked in surprise. Jason had been getting a little mouthy and inconsiderate as of late, but he had never come home under the influence of anything before. It seemed the more time he spent on campus, the more attitude and defiance he came home with.

Jason grumbled under his breath, pulled away and darted up the stairs and towards the bedroom. Rob followed on his heels sensing that he was hiding something and wanting to get to the bottom of it. Corey trailed behind, knowing he would be needed to play mediator again tonight. About once a week it seemed that he was refereeing for the other two when they got into a tiff.

As Rob went to grab Jason by the arm to turn him around, he noticed that Jason flinched and put a hand up to his chest area as if guarding it.

"What the fuck's wrong with you?" Rob asked. "You're acting weird."

"Nothing's wrong," Jason grumbled and turned the left side of his body slightly sideways and away from Rob.

Corey jumped in to try and diffuse the situation. "Maybe we should just sleep on it and talk in the morning? We're all tired...nothing's going to get resolved tonight. So let's just go to bed, okay?" He removed his T-shirt and pants and hopped into the center of the bed so he could keep the other two as far away from each other as possible tonight.

Rob reluctantly did the same, knowing he was too exhausted to have a rational dialogue at this time of night. "Don't think this is over, Jay" he barked as he got into bed. "We're going to have a serious discussion in the morning...about you coming in so late AND about whatever you're on!" Rob knew it probably just some pot, but it wasn't going to happen again - not in his house at least.

Jason rolled his eyes, dropped his pants and climbed into bed. As Corey settled in and changed his position to get comfortable, he accidentally elbowed Jason in the chest, who then let out a loud shriek that seemed out of proportion for such a little jostle. Rob sat up to see Jason's hand covering his left chest area and wincing in pain.

Rob squinted his eyes and looked at him suspiciously. "Take your shirt off, Jay."

Jason shook his head no, which caused Rob to exit the bed, walk around to the other side and pull Jason out. A slight struggle ensued as Jason resisted the shirt being pulled over his head, with Rob eventually winning the battle.

With the shirt now off, Corey and Rob stared at Jason's left nipple. A large smile spread across Corey's face, who clearly was enticed by the site. "Oh my God - that's so hot!" Corey said under his breath.

"You pierced your fucking nipple?!" Rob shouted and stared at it quite dumbfounded. "What the fuck, Jay?! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"It's not a big deal. It's MY body!"

"No Jay, it IS a big deal! You can't just do shit like that without telling us. It's not fair! We're in a relationship together, remember?!"

"It's just a piercing," Jason explained with annoyance. "I can take it out at any time. It's no big deal."

Corey stepped forward and bent over to inspect the small gold hoop piercing better as Rob and Jason continued to bicker back and forth. For his part, Rob wasn't so upset about the piercing as he was that Jason did it behind their backs. And Jason simply could not for the life of him understand what the anger was all about. He was of legal age to do it after all, and the three friends that went with him to the piercing parlor didn't need to ask "permission" from anybody - so why did he need to? He was fed up with being treated like a child.

After several minutes of back and forth arguing, Jason began to sense this wasn't a battle he was ever going to win. He knew he had to resort to what he secretly called Plan W, with the W standing for "wrapped." It was no secret that he had Rob completely wrapped, even more so than Corey. Jason had come to Rob frightened, broken, abused and alone, whereas Corey had had a good upbringing and family. Because of that, Rob had an extra soft spot for Jason, and in turn, Jason used that to his advantage. Jason knew all Rob's weak spots, all the ways to diffuse a situation and make Rob forget what he was mad about in the first place. Basically, all Jason had has to do was look at him with those eyes of his and make himself appear completely naïve and innocent. There was just something in his large blue eyes, some sort of vulnerability in them that made Rob incapable of remaining mad at him for long. Even Corey knew what Plan W was, although he didn't much like it. Corey had often told him that just because he was the baby amongst them and knew how to manipulate Rob's emotions, he shouldn't do it because it was wrong.

Jason took a deep breath, softened his face and body language, and slithered up to Rob to put his hands gently on his chest and stroke it. "I'm sorry, Rob," he began in a soft, almost childlike voice. "I was gonna tell you tomorrow. A bunch of us from school went and I didn't want to be the only one who chickened out on the piercing. It was stupid and I shouldn't have done it...and yeah, I did try some pot back at the dorm...just a little." Jason tilted his head up and made his eyelids look heavy and seductive. He parted his lips slightly and licked them extra slowly with his tongue, fully conscious that every move he made was bringing Rob's anger down another notch. "I didn't mean to make you mad. Maybe you should punish me...and teach me a lesson." Jason fixed his heavy eyes on Rob's, not daring to break the eye-to-eye contact he had and the spell that most often went along with it.

Rob swallowed hard. He knew exactly what Jason was doing, but even so he found it almost impossible to resist. One part of him wanted to strangle Jason for making him worry all night by not checking in, and the other part of him just wanted to fuck the shit out of him and hear him scream his name at the top of his lungs.

Rob reached out and pulled Jason in abruptly to hold him, his grip tight around his waist. And even though Rob glared down hard at him, Jason could sense that most of the anger had been replaced with lust. "Yeah. You clearly need to be punished." He covered Jason's mouth with his own, roughly kissing him to the point where it almost hurt. Then quite suddenly Jason felt his feet leave the floor as Rob had pushed him onto the bed so hard that he was actually airborne for a second or two.

Jason remained on his back, knowing not to move yet, as Rob reached under their bed and pulled out the toy box. Jason scowled a little as he saw the handcuffs come out. While that was Corey's favorite toy, it was certainly not Jason's. He found them cold, hard and uncomfortable. He much preferred the soft fabric ties that were gentle on his skin and that he knew he could slip his hands out of if he ever wanted to. The cuffs were unforgiving and impossible to get out of until Rob unlocked them.

Rob knelt over Jason on the bed and placed his wrists into the cuffs, which were then attached to the railing of the headboard. He then pulled Jason's underwear off, leaving him naked on the bed.

Rob then turned his full attention to Corey - removing his underwear, kissing him, stroking his face, fondling his privates, and giving him 100% of his attention. Jason knew full well what he was doing. He was punishing him through denial of affection. As much as Jason knew what buttons to push with Rob, Rob had a very good understanding of Jason as well. There had always been an underlying thread of jealousy between Jason and Corey when it came to Rob's attention and Rob was going to play that to the hilt tonight.

Jason remained still and watched while Rob serviced Corey at the end of the bed. Rob had taken Corey's manhood into his mouth and was slowly sucking up and down the length of his shaft, hollowing out his cheeks so that a "pop" sound occurred each time he took his mouth off.

Corey kept one hand on Rob's head, running his fingers through his dark hair, and moaning his approval each time Rob deep-throated him. Nobody gave a better blow job than Rob - his mouth and tongue were seemingly as muscular as the rest of his body and it always brought Corey to a state of being high whenever he performed fellatio on him.

Jason watched with envy as his own erection was growing by the second, and yet neither one of them were paying him any mind. He wriggled around as best he could in an attempt to catch their attention, even pulling on the handcuffs to create some additional noise as the cuffs thumped and rattled off of the headboard.

"Mmmmmm.....this is what a good boy tastes like," Rob stated as he took Corey into his mouth again.

Jason groaned a little at the sight of it, but also at the sound of Rob's words. He often called Jason his "good boy" during sex, and it felt almost like a betrayal to him.

Rob then flipped Corey over so that he was on all fours and kneeling. He placed his hands on Corey's bottom to spread his cheeks apart and then leaned over to flick his asshole with his tongue, making sure to angle his head just right so that Jason could see every bit of it. He alternated between slow and gentle licks, to very fast and forceful flicks, occasionally adding a finger or two into Corey's ass as well for good measure.

Corey and Jason both threw their heads back and moaned simultaneously; Corey from the sheer pleasure of it, Jason from the agony of not being a part of it. The act of rimming Corey was done just as much to please Corey as it was to piss Jason off. Jason needed to be punished and Rob wanted him desperate and begging for his touch by the time this was over.

The display of affection went on for several more minutes before Jason eventually shouted out "Come on! What about me?!" in frustration, having felt he had been punished long enough.

Rob looked up at him through semi-closed eyes. ' _God, he's so fucking beautiful_ ," Rob thought to himself, knowing not to say it loud lest he give him any more ammunition for future fights. Rob then turned his attention back to Corey and placed a string of soft kisses up the other's spine until he got to his head, then whispered, "What do you think, Cor? You think he's learned his lesson?"

Corey smiled and nodded. All he wanted was peace between them and he was sure Jason had gotten the point.

"I don't know," Rob stated and shook his head. "I don't think he's been punished enough."

Jason began to whine and pout in protest. Rob then reached out and pulled his body down the length of the bed a little further, causing Jason's arms to be stretched into a fully straight position above his head. The stretched out position created a bit of tension on his newly pierced nipple, causing Jason to look down at it to make sure it wasn't bleeding.

Rob then spread Jason's legs apart and positioned his own cock at his hole. "I think your punishment for being a little prick tonight is to be fucked at both of your holes," Rob stated as he gave a nod to Corey, indicating he wanted him to position himself over Jason's face.

As uncomfortable as his arms were, and as taut as the skin around his nipple was feeling, Jason smiled at the punishment. He spread his legs apart as far as they would go and opened his mouth up wide for Corey. "I'm ready for my punishment," he said coyly.

"Not quite yet," Rob stared down at him. "You need to beg. Tell me you're sorry and beg."

Jason rolled his eyes. He had been cuffed to the bed for what seemed like forever while Rob pleased Corey and he wanted his turn - now!

Seeing that Jason was choosing to be difficult again, Rob stood up from the bed and began to back away. "Well, if you don't want to we can just leave you here...c'mon, Cor," he stated as he motioned for Corey to join him.

"No, no!" Jason shouted as he knew Rob well enough to know that he meant it. "Come back! I'll apologize! I'm sorry!"

Rob crawled back onto the bed and hovered over him, his eyes staring intensely into Jason's. "Beg!"

"Please...please," Jason begged with a whine.

"Please what?"

"Fuck me...please?"

Rob's eyes lit up a little at the level of control he now had again over Jason. "Who do you belong to?" he asked in a low voice.

"You...I belong to you," Jason groaned, his body aching to be touched and tired of the emotional torture. "I'm all yours...only yours."

"That's right. I think you forgot about that tonight. It won't happen again, will it baby?" Rob asked with a serious face as he took one finger and ran it down the inside of Jason's thigh to inflame the sexual tension just a bit more.

Jason shook his head in the negative. "No, it won't. I'm so sorry Rob. I swear...uh...I...just..." he stopped to lick his dry lips and attempt to put a coherent sentence together even though he was half-mad with desire to be touched. "Just fuck me, please? I need it so bad - I need you inside me. Please fuck me!"

Corey waited for the nod from Rob to proceed and then knelt over Jason, placing his cock inside his mouth and began to glide himself in and out. Rob entered Jason quickly from the other end, deciding to forego any anal foreplay or finger stretching as he usually did. The sensation would be slightly uncomfortable at first for Jason, but after a few seconds Rob's pre-cum had him internally slick and dripping wet and the three soon became synchronized in their movements. Sex was always better when they were three - somehow that extra person just made everything work for them in the bedroom.

With all three of them so sexually charged, both physically and emotionally, they all knew it wouldn't be long before they came. "Uuuuhhhh, fuuuuuuck, I'm gonna come!" Corey moaned first to give Jason fair warning. As soon as Jason tasted the warm liquid shoot inside his mouth he felt Rob's pace pick up as he began to hammer away at him harder and faster. Jason tried to open his mouth to tell him to slow down, but with Corey's cock still filling his mouth, all that came out was a mess of cum that he hadn't yet swallowed.

Rob stared down at the site of it - Jason thrashing about and attempting to speak, but his mouth stuffed full of cock and cum. He watched with sheer pleasure as a small amount of white fluid trickled down Jason's cheek and behind his ear. This was how he loved seeing his boys - submissive, controlled, and on the verge of an orgasm caused by him.

Jason's arms were beginning to ache from being pulled straight for so long. He felt Rob grab his ankles and extend his legs up and out, pushing then slightly forward so he could get the best thrusting position possible. And as uncomfortable as it all was, Jason felt his own orgasm beginning to bubble to the surface. Rob groaned loudly as every wave of his orgasm overtook him, shouting out obscenities under his breath as he did so. Jason began to come as well, shooting his own load up and over his abdomen, and screaming Rob's name at the top of his lungs as Corey had now pulled out. Corey quickly took care of the mess by leaning over to lick up every white ribbon of cum on Jason stomach until there was nothing left. Then, very gently, he took his cum-covered tongue and ran it around the areola where Jason's piercing was, being careful not to go too close as he knew it was sensitive. Maybe Rob didn't like the piercing, but he most definitely did.

Rob then removed himself from Jason's wracked body, unlocked the handcuffs, and all three collapsed on the bed, panting heavily, with Jason now occupying the center position.

Rob took his finger and brushed back a strand of long blond hair that had fallen across Jason's face. "Don't do that shit again, you understand me?," Rob stated softly in his ear. "I mean it. You had me scared." The anger in his voice now gone, being replaced by what sounded more like disappointment or sadness. Jason nodded and smiled weakly at him. He wasn't sure why he was being so difficult or rebellious lately, but he never intended to hurt either one of his partners.

As Jason began to nod off, he heard the soft drumming of rain on the skylight window above them. He smiled to himself at the feeling of comfort and security it gave him. What he didn't know was that this would be the last night the three of them would fall asleep happily in each other's arms.


	41. Bailed Out

Rob reached over to the coffee table to pick up his cell phone that was ringing. The caller ID showed that the call was coming from the county's jail and police department, so he answered it quickly.

"Hello? What?! Where the hell are you?! What the fuck did you do now?!"

Corey looked up quickly from his textbook that he was studying from. "What's wrong," he asked, concerned at what he was hearing and the tone of Rob's voice.

Rob held up a finger to indicate he needed Corey to hold on. "You've got to be shitting me!", he shouted into the phone as he threw his left hand up in the air and stormed around the living room. Corey stood up and walked closer to him in an attempt to hear the other half of the conversation through the receiver. "Yeah, yeah...we'll be there in a few minutes, but I swear to God...." Rob disconnected the call in frustration before even finishing his sentence.

Corey had no idea what had happened, but Rob was beyond fuming - his face was red, his brow furrowed and jaw clenched. "What's going on? What happened? Is it Jason?" he asked anxiously as soon as the call ended.

"Who else?" Rob grumbled. "Got himself friggen arrested! I didn't get the whole story, but we need to bail him out. He'll be like a scared mouse surrounded by hungry wildcats in there if we don't."

Corey heaved a sigh of disappointment. He had just had a long sit-down talk with Jason that morning about getting his act together, and now this happens. The two hopped in Rob's car and headed down to the city police department a few miles away.

*************************************************************

Jason sat on the uncomfortable metal bench, his knees pulled up tight to his chest, and tried to make himself as invisible as possible. He was in a holding cell with about six other men, most of whom looked like they could do some serious physical damage to him if they chose to. There was one old guy in a corner who was passed out, snoring, and appeared to be sleeping it off. The remainder of the men were somewhere in their mid-20's to 30's, several of whom were all tattooed up and looked like they would just as soon snap Jason's neck in two than look at him. The holding cell was filthy and smelled of urine. He couldn't imagine a more disgusting or frightening place to be.

Jason fought back the urge to cry as he knew this wasn't the place for it. He wasn't sure if he felt worse about what had happened or what _would_  happen once Rob got his hands on him. He placed his hands over his ears and closed his eyes, gently rocking himself back and forth in an attempt to comfort himself and calm down from the ordeal. All he and his friend did was go for a ride. They had had a few beers at the dorm, but they weren't drunk - at least they didn't think they were. His friend got behind the steering wheel and the next thing Jason remembered was waking up to a flashlight being shone in his eyes and seeing the flashing blue lights of a police car pulled up beside him. Somehow his friend must have taken the corner too fast and smashed head-on into a telephone phone, but he didn't really remember. Fortunately neither of them were seriously hurt, with Jason only having a few cuts and scrapes on his chin from some broken glass. After having failed the breathalyzer, they were both taken in, charged with underage drinking, fingerprinted, booked, and placed in different holding cells.

A rattle on the metal door caused Jason to look up. "Murphy!" the officer called as he inserted a key into the lock and opened the door. Jason stood up quickly and approached him. "Looks like someone paid your bond. You're free to go."

Jason followed the officer down the hall and toward the front lobby. When he turned the corner he could see that Rob and Corey were there waiting for him. Corey looked crushed, whereas Rob looked enraged. He immediately went to Corey who gave him a big bear hug, clearly relieved to see that he was okay. Rob leaned over and whispered in his ear, "If we weren't in a police station right now, I swear to God I would tear your head off!"

"Okay Sir, I just need one more signature from you and you're free to take him home," the officer stated to Rob as he pushed yet another paper in front of him to sign.

The police officer turned then to Jason. "So listen up, son. I hope you know how lucky you were tonight. All you've been charged with is underage drinking, but you're friend got a DUI because he was driving and he's going to lose his license for a while. But do you understand that the two of you could have been killed - or killed somebody else? Do you get that, son?"

Jason nodded his head and looked down at the ground as the reprimand continued. "Given that this is your first offence, I don't expect you'll receive much more than a fine, but that's not up to me - that's up to the judge. If he's in a bad mood the day you see him, you could actually get some jail time for this. But the judge will determine that, not me. You'll be getting a court date in the mail. You're free to go now."

"Thank you, officer," Rob stated and put his right hand firmly on Jason's shoulder and directed him out the door. He had a vice-like grip on him that caused Jason to wince with pain, but he didn't dare say anything. He had seen Rob angry before, but he had definitely been pushed over his limit tonight.

When they got to the car, Rob shoved Jason into the back seat and they began to drive home. Rob glared at Jason in the backseat via the rear-view mirror and began to shout out a barrage of rhetorical questions: "What in the hell is wrong with you lately? How can you be so stupid?! Why would you get in a car with someone who'd been drinking? What if I couldn't have bailed you out? Do you know what they'd do to you in jail? Have you looked in the mirror lately? Do you think you could survive in there - with gang bangers, rapists and murderers? You'd be somebody's sex doll before your first 24 hours!"

Jason felt the sting of tears begin to well up in his eyes again. Maybe sitting in the holding cell with the other criminals would have been the better choice after all; at least nobody was screaming at him there. Rob carried on his rant for the full 15 minute drive home.

Once they had arrived home, Jason attempted to put Plan W into effect to diffuse the situation, but he was shut down immediately. "No way, Jay!" Rob stated as he pushed Jay off of him. "I know what you're trying to do and it's NOT gonna work this time. I am BEYOND pissed with you right now - you have NO idea how angry I am!"

Jason quickly turned on his heels and took off to the downstairs semi-finished basement to be alone. As Rob began to follow him to continue his rant, Corey grabbed him by the arm. "Hold on, Rob, please? Just...just give him a few minutes to calm down, and you too. I know you're pissed off and so am I, but just screaming some more at him isn't going to fix anything. We need to figure out a better way to get through to him. I mean...he's acting up for a reason, right?"

Rob glared at him, but thought it over. Clearly his approach as of late wasn't working, so he was willing to listen to what Corey had to say.

"You gotta let him have some space Rob. He's almost 20 now! He's in college. What he did tonight was dumb, there's no excuse for that, but you have to let him have some breathing room. When I talked to him this morning, that's what he told me. He feels like you treat him like a child and never give him any freedom...never let him have any fun."

"Fun? Are you fucking kidding me, Cor? When I was barely more than 20 myself I was working 70 hours a week trying to keep a roof over both of your heads. Do you think THAT was fun? No, it wasn't, but that's the way it was. I wasn't out partying, getting body piercings, getting high or arrested!"

"Look, you know you're kind of hot-headed, and he's definitely been pressing your buttons. Why not just sit down and talk it out? Come to some sort of a compromise that's fair to both of you. You've got to give him a little leeway. He doesn't mind being controlled IN bed, but not out of it. You hold the reigns too tight and he's gonna bolt the first chance he gets."

"He has to follow the rules!" Rob bellowed.

"I agree, Rob. I know there have to be rules, but he's almost 20. Maybe it's time to _adjust_  the rules. Just a little bit? An 11:00 p.m. curfew is kind of early for a 20 year old, don't you think? Especially when I don't have one at all. It's the little things like that."

Rob shook his head in the negative. "He clearly hasn't demonstrated that he's capable of a later curfew, or that he can even be trusted. So no. I'm standing my ground on this one."

Corey sighed and sat down on the living room couch, knowing that there would be no compromise moving forward. He silently thought about the last few years of their relationship, how it began and where it was now. "Maybe Jay _was_  too young," he said quietly to himself.

"I told you that," Rob snapped back. "I told you he was too young and immature before anything ever happened. And then everything happened so quick...too fast. He wasn't ready." Rob shook his head, placed his hands over his bleary eyes and rubbed them. There had been just too much stress and drama over the past few months and he had no idea how things had spiraled out of control so quickly. And worse yet, he had no idea how to fix it.

Downstairs in the basement Jason could hear bits and pieces of the conversation going on above him, but he paid little mind. He was still shaken up from the night's events and just wanted to be alone for a bit. He glanced around at the basement, which was only partially finished. Rob had drywalled three of the four walls and had temporarily thrown some extra carpeting down on the floor that they had left over from the bedrooms. A few months ago they purchased a new living room set, so the old couch that they brought from the apartment had been moved into the basement.

Jason laid down on the old familiar couch and tried to hold back a sob. He buried his face into the arm rest and breathed in deeply. He could still smell the old apartment through the fibers of the couch. Memories of the old apartment ran through his head, and how things used to be. He remembered the very first night he had ever slept on this couch - he had been so hungry, cold and frightened that night - the night that Corey first brought him home. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and looked at the last photo he had snapped in the old apartment the day they left it. Life seemed so much easier there. He wasn't sure what had happened, or why, but things just didn't feel the same to him anymore. He felt unsettled and restless, but he wasn't sure why.

Jason put his arm around Oscar who had jumped up onto the couch with him and nuzzled into his neck. Oscar always knew when he was feeling down and was quick to provide a warm furry body for comfort. Jason cracked a small smile as Oscar head-butted his hand, indicating that he would like a head scratch please.

As Jason tended to Oscar's demands, footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs and Corey entered the room. "Hey, how you doing?" he asked with concern as he entered.

Jason just shrugged, still lying on the couch and in no mood to talk.

Corey sat down on the old coffee table so he could face him. "Looks like you got a few cuts on your chin. How 'bout we go upstairs and I clean them up for you?" he offered.

Jason shook his head no. Upstairs was the last place he wanted to be.

Corey sighed and continued. "You know Jay, I get that you're frustrated. But what you did tonight was a bad, BAD decision. I love you, man. But you ARE getting a little out of control lately."

Jason glared up at him. He could usually count on Corey to be on his side in most situations, but not this time apparently.

"I know Rob can be hard on you, and he's kind of controlling and all, but it's just because he loves you."

Jason snorted. "You don't get it. You don't get it at all because he doesn't treat you like he treats me," he began. "I'm majoring in Finance because he TOLD me to. He didn't even ask me what I wanted to major in - he just said 'You're good in math, Jay' and he picked my major for me. Do you know how that makes me feel?"

Corey put a hand on Jason's thigh and gave it a small squeeze.

"When we went to buy a used car to get me back and forth to school, he just picked the one he thought was best - he didn't even as me what I thought."

Corey lightly chuckled. "Well, he wasn't gonna let you get a Ferrari!"

"I didn't want a Ferrari, Corey, don't you understand?!" Jason replied with frustration that Corey had missed the point. "There were three cars there that we could afford. But he never once asked me which one I liked better. I just wanted to be included in the decision, that's all. I just want to be treated like an adult with an opinion...instead of a child." Jason's voice cracked as he continued. "I have to be home by 11, have to check in everywhere I go...I just feel...", he paused to find the right word. "I feel smothered!"

"I know. But that's how Rob is. Everything he does, it comes from a good place. Yeah, he's controlling as hell, but it's just because he loves you."

"Oh yeah? Well I don't see it! He doesn't treat you like this at all!"

"You know, Jay, when you first came to live with us, Rob was basically taking care of you like a dad would...or an older brother at least. His relationship with you started out so different than his relationship with me did. And then when we brought you into our bed, things got all turned upside down."

"That what it is..." Jason said quietly. "In his mind, he's still my guardian. Not my boyfriend - my guardian...my boss!"

Corey shook his head. "No, Jay. I don't think so. Not really. But when things calm down, I think you two need to sit down and talk about it. You've gotta stop with this power struggle or whatever it is you're throwing at him. If not, it's gonna end badly. Mark my words."

"Then he needs to loosen my leash!" Jason barked.

"Yeah, I agree with you on that," Corey smiled. "But you gotta stop being a dummy first!" he laughed out loud and gave him a playful push on his head. "So, you wanna come upstairs to bed now?"

"Nah. Gonna stay down here tonight. I got Oscar with me. I'm fine."

"Okay. Well, if you change your mind you know where we are." Corey bent over and kissed him on the lips and left the basement. He turned back he was at the stairwell and about to ascend. "I love you, Jay," he stated over his shoulder.

Jason lifted his head from the couch and gave him a half-smile. "I know. I love you too."


	42. The Final Straw

Things had been extremely tense over the last few weeks. Jason's court date came and went. He had gotten off pretty easy with just a small fine as it was his first offense and he hadn't been the one driving. But Rob had decided that wasn't punishment enough and now only let him use his car for school. Jason now had to be home within 30 minutes of his last class ending or his shift at the college bookstore being done - no more hanging out at the dorms afterwards. Basically, Rob had grounded him.

Corey had been walking on eggshells since the grounding had gone into full effect. The other two were not speaking to each other and Jason had been spending his nights either down in the basement on the old couch, or sometimes in the guest bedroom. Corey could sense something was really off this time. There was a heavy and tense feeling in the house, like waiting for the other shoe to drop. And it wasn't a question of _if_  it would drop, it was _when_. And given the time of night and the fact that Jason was not yet home, it was apparently going to drop tonight.

Rob anxiously shook his leg up and down as he sat on the couch. He grew more agitated by the minute, which caused Corey to be on edge as well. Something serious was going to go down tonight - Corey could feel it in his bones.

Just then Jason waltzed through the door like nothing had happened. He was well aware of the time, and yet he simply didn't care. He was a few days shy of turning 20, considered himself a grown man at this point, and was dammed if he was going to be grounded by his own boyfriend.

Rob stood up, arms folded across his chest, and glared at him. "I can't believe you did this again."

"Did what? Hung out with my friends? Why is that a problem? Corey does it whenever he wants to!" Jason stated.

"Corey checks in and let me know where he is. You don't seem to grasp that concept!"

"Oh yeah? Well that's not all I did tonight. Wanna see?" Jason taunted with a sneer.

Corey's jaw opened in surprise. "You got another piercing? You didn't!"

"You wouldn't dare!" Rob exclaimed angrily.

"Oh, yes I would! But I'd have to drop my pants for you to see this one," Jason stated sarcastically, knowing he was turning the knife a little deeper into Rob's emotions.

Rob's eyes open wide at both the sheer audacity in Jason's voice, as well as the suggested location of the second piercing, but before he could even begin to start yelling, Corey jumped in and did it for him.

"Come on, Jay! Why would you do that after everything we've talked about? You're being so selfish!" Corey hollered.

"Selfish?" Jason queried. "This is MY body!"

"No it's not - it's MY body!" Rob screamed at him. Jason quickly looked at Corey and threw his arm in the air in a ' _See, I told you so_ ' gesture at how Rob was treating him.

Rob realized his slip of the tongue and rephrased it. "I mean...you're MY boyfriend - OUR boyfriend! You can't just go getting piercings and shit and not expect us to be pissed about it! We've already been through this!!"

"You control every aspect of my life!" Jason screamed. "You told me what to major in at school! You told me what car to drive! You control where I go and who my friends are! You even control what I can do with my own body!"

Rob simply stood and stared at him, seemingly at a loss for words. Everything he had done for Jason had been done out of love and he simply couldn't understand why Jason was so angry.

"You're living under MY roof!" Rob stated very slowly, trying his best to maintain his composure as it was clear the situation was escalating by the second.

"I'm not 16 anymore! You're too fucking controlling! You're NOT my mother!"

"You don't even know where the fuck your mother is!" Rob hurled back, knowing it was a low blow, but the words came out before he could pull them back.

Jason's face changed from angry to crushed and then back to angry in a heartbeat. "Oh yeah?" his voice cracking slightly. "Well at least I didn't grow up in a foster home!"

Rob recoiled as if being emotionally slapped in the face. As he began to shout back, Corey's eyes darted back and forth between the two as more hurtful words were hurled about. It seemed like the hollering would never stop, and so he put his hands over his ears and screamed, "STOP IT!!! BOTH OF YOU...JUST STOP!!!"

Jason and Rob abruptly stopped at the unexpected outburst from Corey. He was holding his head and breathing heavily, obviously upset at what had transpired. "No more!" he yelled as his voice quivered. "Just stop - both of you!"

Not wanting to upset Corey anymore, but also wanting to have the last word, Jason turned to Rob and silently mouthed the words 'Fuck you' to him.

Still seething and reeling from the nasty argument only ending seconds before, Rob hastily grabbed a lamp off a side table and fired it at the wall in anger, missing Jason by only an inch. The ceramic base and glass bulb shattered sending sharp and jagged shards everywhere.

Jason froze for a moment, being momentarily brought back in time to when items such as lamps or fists were regularly being thrown at him. Things had taken a bad turn between he and Rob. Lines had been crossed and there seemed to be no going back now.

Jason took two steps forward, pulled the commitment band off of his finger and fired it at Rob's chest. The ring bounced off of Rob, fell onto the wooden floor and rolled about in a circle for a few seconds before coming to a complete stop. The quiet sound of the gold making contact with the floor seemed almost deafening to them now that the screaming had stopped.

Jason then turned and left the house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three chapters to go.


	43. The Reunion

_~Timeframe~ One year later_

Rob yawned, stretched his arms over his head and blinked his eyes open a few times. Every morning seemed to begin the same way lately. He would awaken, happy to start a new day, and then suddenly remember that he was all alone in the large and too quiet house...well, aside from Oscar that is. He turned his head to the side to see the feline comfortably curled up and sleeping soundly on the pillow beside him. The cat who had once been banned from the bedroom all together, as Rob didn't want fur all over the comforter and pillows, was now a regular nightly guest in the master bedroom. And while Rob still wasn't a fan of the shedding fur, he did welcome the small bit of company it provided.

But this wasn't at all the life that he been hoped and planned for when he moved into the house. He much preferred the way things had once been - waking up with an assortment of arms or legs thrown across him, or perhaps to the sound of happy chatter or the TV blaring downstairs. Now when he awoke, the house was silent.

Rob rose from bed and headed into the bathroom for a quick shower. Once done, he walked passed the sink that still held three toothbrushes in the holder. There were little reminders of them everywhere. All of Jason's clothing was still in the bureau, his jeans still hanging up in the closet. Corey had removed most of his personal belongings little by little, but even he had left a few things scattered here and there. Everywhere Rob looked, there were reminders of what used to be. And as much as it hurt to see the items, he couldn't bear to throw them away either.

After Jason had left, Rob and Corey's relationship had limped along for a while, but they were never able to recapture what had once been. Without Jason there, a piece of the puzzle was missing, and before long Corey began spending a night here and there at his parents' house. Eventually that turned into three or four nights a week at his parents, until eventually Corey just didn't come back at all. He and Rob had given it their best effort, but things just weren't the same anymore and they had mutually, albeit reluctantly, decided to call it quits.

Dressed and ready for the day, Rob headed down the spiral staircase and into the kitchen to feed Oscar, who had now come to depend on him for all his daily needs. As much as the two had gotten off on the wrong foot, or paw, Rob was grateful that he had the cat. It was some sort of companionship for him and gave him something to do...and something to care for.

Rob opened the kitchen cupboard and grabbed a can of cat food, taking a moment to read the selection of the day to Oscar. " _Sea-Sensational Florentine. Wild caught salmon and veggies in a delicate, creamy sauce_. Wow, you eat better than I do, Oscar," he stated as he plopped the stinky concoction into a dish.

Oscar meowed loudly in protest, as if to indicate he would like to see a little more action and a lot less chatter. Rob placed the bowl on the floor and Oscar dove into it.

Rob stood for a moment and watched Oscar as he devoured his breakfast. A small, but sad smile formed on his face. This past year had been one of the most difficult in his life, and he had had quite a few bad years to choose from. Corey still kept in touch with him a bit via text, but he hadn't heard from Jason at all since he left a year ago. The only time he got any word on him was through Corey who had remained in touch with Jason, but even that was minimal. But from what little Rob knew, Jason had gotten back together with his old girlfriend Ashley not long after he had left the house. The two had moved about two hours north, had gotten an apartment together, and Jason had gotten a full-time job as he decided not to return to college. It seemed like a hasty decision to Rob, probably done as a rebound, but it was Jason's life and he had no say in it anymore.

Rob took a seat at the kitchen table. He picked up the business card of the real estate agent he had talked to the other day. He was seriously considered selling the very house he had designed and helped build. There were simply too many bad memories here, and he certainly didn't need a house this size if it was only him. Plus, the emptiness of the house only seemed to accentuate how lonely he was. He placed the business card back down, pulled his phone out and began to scroll through his old photos. There were so many of them - mostly ones of Corey and Jason together that he had taken. Sometimes looking at the photos made him feel better, and sometimes they made him feel worse. It was very much like listening to the radio. There were some days when he simply couldn't bear to turn it on as every song seemed to remind him of a memory, whether it be good and bad.

There was a knock on the door and Rob knew that it had to be Corey. His heart skipped a beat as it had been months since Corey had stepped foot in the house. But Corey wasn't coming over today because things were on the mend. If anything, his visit today signaled that things were clearly at an end between the three. He and Corey were planning on going to the hospital to see Jason's newborn son.

Rob opened the door to see Corey, smiling as usual. "Hey! How's it going? You ready?"

Rob nodded. "Yeah, just let me grab my keys and the gift bag." He gestured for Corey to come in. As Corey entered the house he took a quick glance around. Everything seemed very much the way it had been when he left. And while he entered the house with a large smile, he was actually quite sad inside. But Corey was good at putting on a happy façade when need be.

Corey spotted a large blue gift bag on the dining room table. Rob had gone to the trouble of buying a gift for the baby from both of them. "How much did this all come to?" he asked as he took out the tissue paper from the top and began to poke around inside the bag.

"It was about $100. I wasn't really sure what to get - I hope it's okay."

Corey took two 20-dollar bills and a 10 out of his wallet and placed it on the table to cover his half of the gift. "Looks good to me!" he chirped. "Bottles to drink from...bibs to throw up on...onesies...pajamas...diapers to crap in...what more could a baby want?" he laughed as he rummaged through the multiple items. "Awwww...and a stuffed animal too? That's cute - I like it! You did good!"

Rob smiled back at the enthusiastic reaction to the gifts. That was Corey. He could always put a smile on Rob's face, no matter how down he felt.

"I'm just gonna toss this in too if you don't mind. It's from my mom - she wanted to give the baby something too," Corey stated as he placed all the items back into the bag including the item from his mother.

"Sure, sure," Rob stated. "Uh...we should probably get going though. It's a two hour drive to get there."

*********************************************************************************

Upon arriving to the hospital, they took the elevator up to the fourth floor and entered the maternity ward. They made their way to a large glass viewing area where they could see about eight newborns, all in clear glass bassinets and swaddled up tightly in neat, tidy little packages.

As they looked through the glass trying to determine which one was Jason's, they could see that all of the babies were screaming up a storm, except for two off to the right that seemed to be peacefully sleeping through all the chaos and noise.

Corey pointed to the two silent babies. "I'll betcha one of those is Jason's."

"Why do you think that?" Rob asked.

Corey shrugged. "I dunno. They seem pretty chill."

Rob laughed lightly under his breath at Corey's odd reasoning and they turned to go down the hall and find Ashley's hospital room, in hopes of finding Jason there as well. As they began to walk, they saw Jason coming around the corner. Rob's heart skipped a beat - the same way it did earlier when Corey arrived to his house. It had been one full year since he had last seen Jason.

Jason's head was down as he walked. His hair was perhaps a tad longer and he was in need of a shave. He looked incredibly tired, but aside from that he looked the same. As Jason got closer, he raised his head and a smile spread across his face at the site of Rob and Corey standing there. Corey dropped the gift bag and ran forward to hug him.

"Oh my God! It's so good to see you!" Jason laughed as he returned the hug.

"You too...Dad!" Corey joked.

Jason smiled at the new title that had been bestowed upon him. "Yeah, it feels really strange to be called that. I'm gonna have to get used to it."

Rob had held back a bit, not knowing if his presence was truly wanted here or not. The last words he and Jason had said to each other were hurtful and cruel. Things hadn't ended well and he wasn't sure if there were still any hard feelings.

Jason paused and looked at Rob for a moment. He then stepped forward and wrapped his arms tightly around Rob's neck. "I'm so glad you came, Rob."

Rob returned the embrace and firmly held on to what used to belong to him. He inhaled deeply and took in the scent of Jason that he missed so much.

Jason took in the strong arms around him, relishing the feeling and almost melting into them. He had missed being held by Rob and Corey so much over the last year.

"So, do you want to meet the baby?" Jason asked after pulling back from the hug, fighting back a sting in his eyes that he didn't want the other two to see. He tapped on the glass to get the nurse's attention and pointed to one of the bassinets, indicating to her that he would like to have his baby.

As the nurse walked over and began to wheel out the baby on the far right, Corey beamed. "See? I told you! I knew one of those quiet ones was his!"

Jason snorted. "Well, don't let that little guy fool you! He can scream with the rest of them - you're just catching him during naptime."

The nurse opened the nursery door, checked Jason's wrist band against the baby's, and then Jason began to wheel the bassinet down the hallway. He explained that Ashley was trying to get some sleep after a long labor and delivery in the wee hours of the morning, so they would have their visit in the family room at the end of the hall. Rob was relieved upon hearing that as adding Ashley to the mix would make things even more uncomfortable than they already were.

Once in the family room, Rob and Corey took a seat while Jason picked the baby up, removed him from the bassinet, and held him up proper they could get a good look.

"This is Liam," he said proudly as he placed the baby into Corey's arms.

"Oh, I love that name!" Corey stated as he took the baby eagerly.

Jason looked at Rob for approval that certainly wasn't necessary, but he wanted it nonetheless. "What about you, Rob? Do you like it?" he asked hopefully.

"Yeah, I do! That's a nice name. I have to admit though, I was a little worried it would be something weird," he stated.

"How come?" Jason asked as he sat down in a chair across from Rob.

"Well, you _did_  name Oscar," he laughed lightly.

"Hey, how is Oscar?" Jason asked with a touch of sadness in his voice. He missed him something awful, but he had left in such a huff last year that he had no time to take him along.

"Oscar's really good," Rob replied. "Oh, I just took a picture of him yesterday. Let me show you." Rob pulled out his phone and located the photo, then handed the phone to Jason.

Jason looked at the photo and laughed out loud. Oscar was clearly asleep in their bed, his furry head resting on what was either his or Corey's old pillow, and was covered up right under his chin by the comforter. "So, Oscar sleeps in bed with you now?" Jason snickered a little.

"Well, it's a big bed so...you know," a slight pink color forming on Rob's cheeks at the question.

"And he knows how to cover himself up too, huh?" Jason asked with a wide grin.

Rob shifted in his seat and cleared his throat at how unmanly that photo probably seemed. "I just thought he might've been cold, that's all," he mumbled as he reached for his phone back.

"Uh uh uh!" Jason shook his head as he moved the phone out of reach. "How many more of Oscar you got on here?" he teased as he scrolled throw about two dozen photos of Oscar sleeping...Oscar eating...Oscar looking out the window...Oscar getting a belly rub, etc.

Rob rolled his eyes as Jason chuckled while looking at the photos. It was apparent that Rob and the cat had become better friends since his departure. But Jason was caught off guard when the photos of Oscar ended and he stumbled upon pictures of himself and Corey that had never been deleted. He was somewhat surprised that Rob still held onto them. Jason had deleted all of his photos in anger within hours of storming out of the house last year.

Jason awkwardly passed the phone back to Rob, who could sense by the expression on Jason's face that he gotten past the multitude of cat pics.

Paying no mind to the other two, Corey continued to smile and look down at the tightly swaddled baby in his arms. "He looks like a little burrito!" he laughed and began to unswaddle him. "Oh! Look at his teeny-tiny toes!" he marveled.

"I don't think you're supposed unwrap them, Cor," Rob reprimanded.

"Sure you are! You have to count fingers and toes. Everybody knows that. Oh gross! What is that?" he asked in horror as he noticed the clamped off umbilical cord.

Jason laughed and informed him what it was and how they had to care for it until it fell off. He then proceed to tell them how he had signed up for parenting classes as soon as he found out Ashley was expecting so he would know what to do and then rattled off the many things he had learned about newborn care.

Rob stared intently at Jason as he explained to them about the soft spot on the baby's head and the correct position to put a baby down to sleep in. It was clear that Jason had learned a lot in a very short period of time. Rob couldn’t help but notice how much he had matured over the last year. He did seem at all like the temperamental and immature young man that he had been last year.

After some time had passed, Corey handed the baby over to Rob. "Here you go Rob, your turn!"  Rob leaned away, being very resistant to hold the infant. "No, Cor. I don't think so. I don't know how to hold one of those things."

"It's not a THING, it's a baby!" Corey laughed and proceeded to place the tiny bundle in his arms. Rob held the baby quite awkwardly. He had never been around a newborn, much less held one. He stared down at the sleeping baby and noticed the fine blond wisps of hair that were the same blond color as Jason's. He looked down in amazement at how small the baby was - such tiny little fingers and delicate facial features. As Rob adjusted the baby in his arms, the newborn let out a yawn and opened his eyes, with Rob staring almost in awe as he did so. The eyes staring back at him were Jason's - it was rather surreal. The resemblance between father and son was striking. The baby was truly a miniature version of Jason.

"He's so beautiful," Rob whispered under his breath, but just loud enough for Jason to hear him. "He looks just like you, Jay."

"Yeah, that's what all the nurses say," Jason grinned proudly.

Rob could have stared at the tiny being for hours, but his attention was broken by a question from Jason.

"So, how've you been doing, Rob?"

"Uh...okay. You know, uh...I'm...I'm okay," he stuttered, not wanting to tell them the truth of how lonely he actually was. "I actually started going to see a counselor to work on myself."

Jason's eyes opened wide with shock and disbelief. "You're kidding me!"

"No, I'm not. It's been a good thing - having someone to talk to. There's a lot of things I've never talked to anybody about before and...and I finally realized that I needed to do that."

Jason smiled. "I'm really glad to hear that. What about work? You still working all that overtime?"

Rob mumbled something under his breath, wanting to brush the question off. Today was supposed to be about the baby, so he didn't want to mention that he had made a job change - not yet anyway.

Jason studied Rob closely as he held the baby. He was still so handsome and strong - his biceps still large and toned showing through his fitted short-sleeved shirt. His skin was still tanned from outdoor work. And although he was stiff and rigid as he nervously held the baby, there was a calmness about him that Jason didn't recognize. He was so used to Rob being wound up tight and stressed that he was taken aback for a moment. Jason found himself lost in his own thoughts of what had once been when Corey broke the memory by picking up the gift bag and pushing it towards him. "Here! Open it!" he chirped.

Jason smiled and pulled out the first item which was a handmade baby blue crocheted sweater with a matching hat, booties and mittens. "Oh wow! Did your mom make this Corey? It's beautiful."

"Uh-huh," Corey replied. "She wants you to send her a picture of the baby wearing it."

"I will. Tell her thank you. I really miss your mom," Jason choked a little on the words. He had come to think of Corey's parents as his own and very much missed the family time and Sunday dinners and holidays that they were always welcomed at. He continued to take out all the baby items, stopping to read the onsies that all had funny writing on them. He read the first one out loud: "Party Tonight - 3 AM. My Crib!," causing them all to laugh. A second onesie read "Daddy's Little Man."

Jason smiled thoughtfully at he studied the tiny article of clothing. "I really like this one," he said softly. "Wow, Corey - you did amazing picking all this stuff out," he stated as he continued to go through the many items.

"Oh, it wasn't me. I only paid for my half. Rob picked everything out all my himself."

Jason gave a surprised look and then glanced at Rob. Trying to imagine Rob in the baby department of a store seemed about as strange as finding a bull in a china shop. As Jason got to the bottom of the bag, he pulled the very last item out - a soft, stuffed gray cat. "Awwww, this is so cute!" Jason stated as he rubbed it against his cheek to feel the softness.

"That's from Oscar," Rob declared. "The rest of the stuff - it's probably all wrong. I'm sorry. I have no idea what babies need."

"Oh no, he needs ALL of this, Rob! I mean, Ashley's parents got us a few things for him, but other than that...we really don't have anything. So thank you, SO much. Both of you!"

As Jason had brought up the topic of Ashley on his own, Rob took the opportunity to inquire how things were going between them. From what little Corey had told him, Rob was aware that they had hit a rocky patch when the unexpected pregnancy happened. "So how are you and Ashley doing?" he asked.

Jason sighed and sat back in his chair as if somewhat defeated. "Not so great. It's been a lot harder than I thought being out on my own. And then when we found out Ash was pregnant, it just made everything so much harder. So..." he paused and chose his words carefully. "I guess you could say we're doing as good as can be expected. This was all unplanned," he nodded towards the baby, still in Rob's arms.

"But like I said, as soon as I found out he was coming, I got myself into parenting classes here at the hospital. I stopped partying and going out every night and being stupid. I started working extra hours and saving as much money as I could. I knew I had to put him first."

Rob looked up from the baby to study Jason's mannerisms carefully. It was apparent that Jason had had to grow up quick and he could see the maturity level change from last year. He had gone from being a rebellious college student who wanted to come and go as he pleased, to being a responsible young father who had clearly made some major adjustments in his life to put his child first.

Finding it difficult to take his eyes off the sight of Rob awkwardly holding the infant, Jason laughed to himself at how uncomfortably rigid Rob was. He then happened to notice that Rob was still wearing his ring. "You still wear the ring?" Jason asked a little surprised.

Rob paused for a moment before answering. "I um...yeah. I guess I'm just not ready to take it off yet, if you know what I mean? I uh, I guess I'll have to eventually, but...uh...I just can't yet."

Jason swallowed hard at the heartfelt statement. He felt fully responsible for their breakup. He had assumed once he left Rob and Corey would have carried on the way they always had, so when he found out that Corey had moved out of the house as well, it was a hard pill to swallow. He felt like he had singlehandedly ruined not only his share of the relationship, but all three parts of it.

Just then the baby began to fuss, opened his mouth and began to move his head back and forth rather quickly. Being startled at the sudden movement, Rob asked nervously "What's wrong? What's he doing, Jay?"

"Oh, he's just starting to root. It just means he's hungry and he's looking for a nipple so he can nurse."

"Oh, sorry little guy," Rob grinned down at him. "I'm afraid I can't help you with that."

Jason stood up and took the baby from Rob. "I need to get him to Ashley. I'll be right back if you want to wait one minute."

"Oh, well we should probably be leaving anyway," Rob stated as he rose to his feet, not wanting to overstay their welcome or infringe on the new family's time together. "We have a long ride home."

The disappointment was evident on Jason's face. They had only had about an hour-long visit together and it wasn't nearly enough.

"Oh, yeah, I understand," Jason said softly. "I'm really glad you guys came though." He walked them to the exit of the family room to say their goodbyes.

"Good luck Jay," Corey stated as he gave him a hug. "He's beautiful!"

"Thanks, Cor."  He held onto the hug from Corey for a while, not wanting to let him go.  When he finally did, he could see that Corey's eyes had filled up and his smile had vanished.  He knew Corey still had feelings for him and it ate away inside of him at how he had singlehandedly destroyed everything.  

"Yeah, he's perfect, Jay. You did good," Rob chimed in as he gave him a goodbye hug as well. "If you ever need anything, just ask, okay? I mean...we're always here for you. I hope you know that."  Rob's voice was sincere and it was evident from his face that he had his own regrets as well.  

Jason swallowed hard and blinked several times to ease the sting in his eyes that those words caused.  He stared back into Rob's dark eyes, wanting to say so many things to him, but knowing this wasn't the right time or place.  "Thanks. That means a lot to me," he replied instead.  He knew this could very likely be the last time he saw either of them for quite a while. There were just so many things he had wanted to say, but now they were leaving and his chance was gone.

Jason clutched the baby to his chest and watched his two former partners walk down the long hospital hallway until they turned the corner and could no longer be seen. He choked back his emotions at the sight of it. It was never supposed to have been this way.


	44. 1:36 a.m.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a short chapter. It's just a one-minute snapshot into each of their very separate lives to show how much they are all still connected - even when apart.

_~Two Weeks Later~_

Rob yawned and reached for the remote control to turn off the TV. He had been watching some terrible movie with Oscar in his lap, but there were wasn't much else on at this time of night. He looked at the time on the cable box. It was 1:36 a.m.

"It's late Oscar. How 'bout we get to bed?" he asked as he gathered the cat up in his arms.

As he approached the stairs, he noticed how bright the moonlight was that was streaming in through the window. He walked over to the window to have a better look at it. It was definitely a full moon tonight - bright, large and completely round. He stood for a minute and stared at it thoughtfully. If was often late at night, such as tonight, that he wondered about Corey and Jason...what they were doing and where they were; whether they were happy or not, and if he ever crossed their minds anymore.

"Check that moon out, Oscar. That's pretty amazing, isn't it?" he asked with a touch of melancholy. Oscar then squinted and turned his head away, as if to say he really couldn't have cared less. "Not impressed, huh buddy?" Rob replied with a sad smile. The two then headed upstairs to bed.

*************************************************************

"Shhhh....Shhhhh," Jason attempted to soothe the baby and calm him down as Ashley tried to prepare a bottle while only half-awake. "C'mon Ash! He's hungry!"

"I know! I know! I'm doing the best I can," Ashley snapped back under the pressure of being rushed and not even fully awake yet.

Realizing his tone had probably come across wrong, Jason apologized. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. I just want to get him to stop crying."

Ashley stepped away from the kitchenette counter of the small apartment, leaving the bottle unmade, and turned to face Jason. "And you think that I don't?" she stated sarcastically. "This isn't at all what I expected! I haven't slept more for more than 20 minutes at a time since we left the hospital two weeks ago! I don't know how much more I can take!"

The baby started to wail again and Jason began to bounce and sway and shush him as best he could. "Stop yelling, Ash! It only makes him cry more!"

"I told you this was a bad idea MONTHS ago! I knew we were too young to be parents - I told you so! You should've listened to me! If you had, we wouldn't be in this mess!" she screamed.

Jason glared at her, not wanting to have this discussion again. Upon finding out they were pregnant, Ashley had thought it was in their best interest to terminate, given their young age and having only been back together for a few months. But Jason had begged her not to. He had promised her that he would be there the whole way through and wouldn't just take off when things got rough. After many nights of long and serious discussions, she had agreed reluctantly to keep the baby, but it was clear she was second-guessing her decision now that the reality of it all was hitting hard.

"I'm so tired Jason!" she continued as her voice cracked. "I haven't been out of this apartment in two weeks! I haven't seen any of my friends. I turned 21 when I was still pregnant and haven't even had the chance to have a legal drink or a night out!"

"Neither have I!" he lashed back. "But it doesn't matter what WE want anymore! He HAS to come first now, don't you get that? Why aren't you on the same page as me?!"

Frustrated, tired and stressed, Ashley discontinued the argument, went to the small bedroom and slammed the door.

Juggling Liam in one arm, Jason hurried over the counter and screwed the cap and nipple onto the bottle. He then settled down in the chair that he liked to feed the baby in. It faced the window and allowed him to look outside. He could see lights from other buildings and headlights from the nearby highway coming and going, which made him feel slightly less lonely.

He placed the bottle into the mouth of the now frantic baby, who latched on immediately and began to suck furiously to soothe himself. "It's okay buddy," Jason whispered as he kissed the top of his head and wiped a few tears away from the infant's chubby cheeks. "Everything's gonna be okay...everything's gonna be okay." He hoped if he said it enough, maybe it would be true.

As the baby continued to feed, Jason's eyes wandered over the nighttime skyline. He noticed how unusually bright and full the moon was tonight. He wondered what Rob and Corey were doing. Probably sleeping he guessed.  _'God, I miss them so much,'_ he thought silently to himself.  He glanced over to the clock on the wall. It was 1:36 a.m.

******************************************************************

Corey shot straight up in bed and looked around in a panic. He glanced around the room and realized he was safe in his own bedroom at his parents' home. It was just a bad dream he had had - the one where it felt like he was falling and just before he was about to hit the ground he would wake up startled. He took a deep breath and laid back down. He was then struck by how bright his bedroom was. He leaned over the side of the bed and went to pull down the window shade. As he did so, he realized that the room was so bright because of the full moon.

Corey swung his legs over the side of the bed and stared out the window for a minute. He had seen many full moons before, but this one was unusual. The last time he had seen one this large was a little over a year ago. He recalled how he, Rob and Jason had sat out on the deck one night, all squeezed into a wicker loveseat and sharing a blanket. That was one of the last really nice nights they had had there...just resting their heads on each other, looking up at the moon, and being completely content in each other's company. He missed that more than anything.

Blinking a few times to remove the memory from his head, Corey pulled the shade and laid back down. As he covered himself back up, he looked at the alarm clock on the nightstand. It was 1:36 a.m.


	45. Welcome Home, Jason

Rob came through the front door, having just finished mowing the lawn. If he was going to go through with putting his house back on the market, he knew the outside had to look as good as the inside. As he opened the refrigerator door to grab a bottle of cold water, he heard his cell phone ring. Pulling it out of his pocket, he was surprised to see the name Jason appear on his caller ID.

Rob answered the phone quickly, sensing it had to be something urgent if Jason was actually calling him. The voice on the other end sounded panicked and spoke rapid-fire with barely a breath in between sentences: "I don't know what to do! She left! She just up and left! It's been three days! I thought she just needed to get her head together and she'd come back, but she hasn't! I don't know what to do!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Calm down, Jay. I can barely understand you you're talking so fast," Rob stated. He could hear the baby crying loudly in the background, making it even harder to understand. "Who left?"

"Ashley! We had another fight and she left! I had to call out of work Friday 'cuz I have no one to take care of the baby, but if I call out again tomorrow I'm gonna get fired! And if I get fired then I can't pay the rent here! And then I'll lose the apartment and have nowhere for the baby to live and...and...and I don't know what I'm gonna do! I'm all alone out here and I don't know what to do!!!!"

Jason was speaking so frantically that Rob wasn't able to catch every word, but he caught enough to understand that he needed help. "Listen to me," Rob began in a calm voice. "I want you to pack up all of the baby's things and fit as much of it into your car as you can. Then I want to you to start driving and don't stop until you get here. You can stay here as long as you need to and figure things out. I'll help you...everything's gonna be okay. I promise."

Rob then hung up and immediately dialed out another number. "Corey? You need to get over here right now. It's important."

*****************************************************************

Almost three hours had passed since Jason had phoned in his plea for help. Corey heard the sound of a car coming up the driveway and looked out the front window.

"He's here!" he called out to Rob who was still upstairs putting the final touches on everything. Rob then descended the stairs, a screwdriver still in his hand. He placed it on the table and he and Corey went outside to help Jason bring everything in.

Jason exited the car looking stressed and tired. While he removed the baby from his car seat and carried him into the house, the other two grabbed some boxes and trash bags that were filled with baby clothes, diapers, and other assorted items for Liam.

Once inside the house, Jason turned to Rob, his face almost shameful as the last time he stood in this very spot he had said some unforgivable things to him. "I'm so sorry to bother you with this - this isn't your problem. But thank you for letting me come back for a while," he said quietly. "I just didn't know who else to call."

"You did the right thing by calling me," Rob stated reassuringly and put a hand on Jason's shoulder. "I told you - I'll always be here for you."

"Can I hold him?" Corey asked and eagerly held his hands out to take the baby.

"Sure," Jason smiled and handed him off. "I think he needs a diaper change though."

"Oh okay, I'll do it!" Corey chirped.

Jason raised a suspicious eyebrow, not fully sure Corey would know how to, but it was a nice feeling to know that there were an extra pair of hands willing to help him. He had singlehandedly taken care of Liam for the last 72 hours and it was a relief to have some help.

Corey took the baby and laid him down on the dining room table. He quickly removed the tiny pants and wet diaper before Jason could hand him the changing pad to place down to keep the table clean. The baby's wet bottom was now on the dining room table, but before Jason could say anything, a stream of pee shot through the air and hit Corey in the chest.

Jason's eyes darted over to read Rob's expression over the unsanitary mishap on the relatively new dining room table, but surprisingly he remained calm. Sensing Jason's eyes upon him, Rob casually shrugged it off and smiled. "Nothing a Lysol wipe can't take care of afterwards, right?"

Relieved at Rob's calm reaction, Jason smiled and turned his attention back to Corey. "Sorry, I should have warned you about that!" he laughed. "As soon the cool air hits it, it goes off!"

"NOW you tell me!" laughed Corey, who leaned over at the wiggling and kicking baby and pretended to scold him. "Come on, little dude - I thought we were friends!"

Jason placed the diaper bag on the table and pulled out a changing pad to give to Corey. "Here put this underneath him," he offered and then pulled out some baby wipes and a clean diaper.

Just then, Oscar jumped up on the table and began to sniff around at this new little human that had entered his house. As he suspiciously sniffed the baby's head, he flipped his tail a few times, knocking the diaper bag off the table and onto the floor, causing several items to spill out in the process.

"For crying out loud, Oscar!" Rob frowned and removed the cat from the table. "I'll pick everything up," he stated. He then bent down and gathered up the items that had fallen out and began placing them back in the diaper bag. He picked up a manila envelope that held what looked to be paperwork from the hospital. As he inserted the papers back inside the envelope, he noticed one form that he assumed was the baby's birth certificate, complete with Liam's tiny footprints at the bottom. As he looked at the document, he eyes fell upon the line that was reserved for the baby's full legal name. In typed letters it read: Liam Robert Murphy.

Rob swallowed hard upon seeing the middle name that had been chosen. He quickly tucked the document back into the envelope and placed it safely in the diaper bag. Rob cleared his throat before speaking. "So, uh, Jason...why don't I show you where the baby can sleep, okay?"

"Okay. You sure you got this, Corey?" he asked, eyeing his former partner with a bit of uncertainty.

"Of course! There's nothing to it," Corey stated with confidence as he tried to maneuver the diaper between wildly kicking legs.

Jason smiled, not certain that Corey had diaper duty under complete control, but willing to let him try. He then followed Rob up the spiral staircase. He assumed that he and the baby would be sleeping in the spare guestroom, so he was surprised when Rob instead headed to the weight room. It seemed like an odd room to put a baby in with all the dumbbells and workout equipment, but this was Rob's house and he wasn't in any position to complain.

Rob placed his hand on the doorknob of the weight room and opened the door. As the door fully opened, Jason was shocked at what he saw. All the exercise equipment was gone....the stationary bike, the free weights, the elliptical machine, and the weighted punching bag...all gone. And in their place was a beautiful oak crib, a matching bureau with changing table, a rocking chair, an electric baby swing, bouncy seat, and a large wicker basket filled with diapers, rattles, teething toys, and other items.

Jason stepped into the room that had been magically turned into a nursery in only a few short hours time. "Where's all your workout stuff, Rob?"

"I moved it all to the basement. I can exercise down there just as easily," he said matter-of-factly.

"This is amazing," Jason said in awe as he looked around the room and took it all in. The walls that once held posters and charts for various exercises and workout routines now had colorful vinyl clings of balloons, clouds and rainbows on them instead. The room had certainly been made bright and cheery. "How the hell did you do all this so fast?" Jason asked incredulously.

Rob scratched his head and smiled. "Well, I got Corey and we headed down to the baby store as soon as I hung up with you. I grabbed the first pregnant woman I could find and I basically dragged her through the whole store and had her tell me everything that the baby would need," he laughed.

Humbled and surprised at the kind gesture, Jason walked over to the crib and peeked inside. He smiled when he saw the bedding - Spongebob Squarepants.

Rob shook his head and rolled his eyes jokingly. "Corey picked that out. He insisted on it. He said since I chose the crib, he should get to choose the bedding. I'm sorry."

"Oh no, don't be sorry," Jason replied. "I like it! Liam will too. It's perfect." He then walked over to the closet which had always been empty. But today it was filled with an assortment of tiny clothes, all on neat little blue hangers. He ran his fingers over the many ensembles, his hand stopping on one in particular. He pulled it out to have a closer look at it.

"A tuxedo? Really?" he scoffed with a laugh. The one-piece ensemble resembled a formal tuxedo right down to the bowtie and tails in the back. The only difference was that this tuxedo came with convenient crotch snaps for easy diaper changes.

"Again, Corey's idea," Rob apologized. "In case the baby has some special event coming up I guess, I dunno," he shrugged his shoulders. "You know Corey - he's crazy."

Jason sadly nodded his head in agreement. Yes, he knew Corey...crazy, sweet, lovable Corey - the one person who had tried to tell him he was on a path of destruction, and yet he had refused to listen to him. Jason placed the tiny tuxedo back in the closet and turned back to face Rob. "I feel so bad just showing up here with the baby. I don't know how to thank you. I'm probably the last person in the world you want to see right now."

Rob shook his head in the negative. "No, that's not true. And don't worry about it. You can stay as long as you need to. You can take the guest room down the hall if you want. I never have any guests anyway. And you can take all of this with you if...er, when you leave. This all belongs to the baby. Stay as long or as little as you want - it's up to you." Rob internally hoped that Jason's stay would be longer rather than shorter, but he knew that wouldn't be up to him. He thought for a moment and then continued. "And...um...I'm really sorry things didn't work out between you and Ashley. I really am. All I ever wanted for you was to be happy," he said sadly.

Jason looked down at the floor slightly embarrassed. "Thanks. I appreciate that. But I knew things weren't going to work out with her pretty early on. I was just too friggen stupid to admit it to myself. If I had...well, maybe things would have been different."

Raising his eyes from the floor, Jason then spoke with a new sense of confidence. "I'm going to go down to the courthouse tomorrow and file for full custody of Liam. I'll never stop her from seeing the baby, but right now he needs stability. And she can't give him that. Once I get settled, I know I can. I'm gonna get a job around here, get myself back in school so I can finish my degree, and I'm gonna make sure he has everything he ever needs, even if I go without. Because he comes first now."

Rob nodded in agreement at the responsible and mature words coming out of his mouth. The once childish 16-year-old teen was now clearly a mature young man standing before him. "Well, if you want, I can go with you tomorrow," Rob offered, hoping he wasn't overstepping his bounds. "I can take the day off so you don't have to do it all alone."

"But don't you have to work? You can't just take a day off when you feel like it, can you?", Jason asked, knowing how work had always taken precedence for Rob in the past.

"Well, actually yeah, I can," he grinned. "Because I'm the boss now."

"Huh?"

Seeing Jason's confused face and wide eyes, he went on to explain. "Not too long after you and Corey left I just woke up one day, quit my old job and started my own company. I wasn't going anywhere at my other job. It was a HUGE risk and I was scared as hell to do it, but the funny thing is, I would have NEVER done it if you and Corey hadn't left. It would have been way too risky. But once you guys were gone I thought to myself, 'Hey, if I fail, I'm the only one that will suffer because of it,' ya know? If I ended up losing the house, it would have been just me that was homeless, so who cares? I figured I had nobody depending on me anymore, so...it just seemed like the right time. And things are actually going really good! I have two full-time guys on the payroll and I think I might need to hire more very soon," he finished proudly.

Jason congratulated him on his success, but inwardly wondered if perhaps his leaving last year was for the best after all. It seemed like Rob was doing pretty well for himself now. Hell, he was doing better than well - he was successful and owned his own company! Jason wondered if perhaps he had been nothing more than a burden to Rob the whole time anyway.

Jason stared thoughtfully into Rob's eyes. He could see that Rob still had feelings for him, but had it been too long? Had things changed too much in the last year to ever make it right again? Was Rob happier now that he had left? "Rob, there's something I've been wanting to say to you," he began with a shaky, uncertain voice. "I just need to tell you..."

Just then Corey interrupted by entering the room. He was holding the baby who was wearing nothing but a diaper. "His clothes got all wet," he explained, slightly out of breath, the diapering task having not been as easy as he had first thought.

"Geez, Cor! You've got the diaper on backwards!" Jason laughed out loud at the sight, momentarily forgetting what he had wanted to say to Rob.

Corey looked down at what he thought was his finest diapering work. "Hey, little dude - why didn't you tell me?" he grinned at the baby, who didn't seem to mind the mistake one bit.

Jason took the baby, placed him on the changing table, and in five seconds flat had flipped the diaper around and readjusted it. "See?" he explained. "The sticky tabs always come from the back."

Impressed at how skilled and efficient in baby care Jason had become, Rob smiled and stated, "Wow, you're quite the expert at that, aren't you?"

"Oh yeah. I've changed over a hundred diapers in the past two weeks," he laughed. "You learn to be fast...or you get peed on!"

Corey pulled the little tuxedo out of the closet and brought it over to Jason. "Here, put this on him, please?"

"Really, Cor? A tuxedo?"

"Well, today _is_  a special day. You're back home, right?" Corey smiled sheepishly, figuring that nothing could be more special than that.

"Yeah," Jason nodded, "I guess I am home." The words caused a pang of sadness within him as he didn't know exactly how long he would be 'home,' but being home right now certainly felt right.

"Hey, uh, do you mind if I crash on the couch tonight, Rob?" Corey asked. "I'm thinking maybe I can help give the baby a bottle if he wakes up in the middle of the night so Jay can get some sleep."

Jason looked up in surprise at the offer of help as he finished dressing the baby. "Really? You'd do that for me? That would be amazing. I don't get much sleep lately. I haven't gotten a full nights sleep in...well...over two weeks!"

Rob nodded. "Sure, of course you can have the couch, Cor." He left it at that, but what he really wanted was to tell Corey that he was welcome to share his bed, just like old times - even if it was only to sleep and nothing more. But he didn't know if that would be appropriate or not given the circumstances. They had rallied together today to help Jason, which was a good first step, but they certainly weren't back together. And whether anything else would come of it down the line was very uncertain. All he knew was that Jason and Corey were back under his roof and if he had his way, they would both be back in his bed in the near future, but he simply couldn't say that to them yet.

"I'll need a dry shirt too," Corey noted as he removed the wet one that Liam had used as target practice.

"Help yourself," Rob gestured toward the master bedroom. "You left some shirts behind - third drawer down. Oh, and all your stuff is still here too Jason."

A smile spread across Jason's face upon hearing that. Not just for the fact that he had brought almost nothing of his own with him, but more because he knew it meant Rob hadn't had the heart to throw the items out. And that gave him a little bit of hope as he still hadn't had the chance to tell Rob what was eating away at his heart.

With Liam now looking quite dashing in his formalwear, the remainder of the day consisted of a lot of catching up amongst the three, interspersed with baby duties that Rob and Corey readily helped out with. After a few feedings, multiple burping sessions, a massive diaper blow-out that sent Rob gagging, followed by a bath in the kitchen sink, Liam was finally put to bed for the night at 10:00 p.m. The three young men then wearily sank into the couch to watch some TV, with Oscar happily joining them.

Within a few short minutes, Jason had completely nodded off while still sitting upright. Corey gently nudged Rob in the ribs and gestured for him to look at Jason. They silently watched him sleep for a few moments. The baby amongst them now had a baby of his own - it all seemed so surreal. The past year had brought so many changes and unexpected surprises that it had felt like a roller coaster ride at times.

Ten minutes had passed when they suddenly heard fussing on the baby monitor that had been placed on the coffee table. Jason startled awake at the sound, but Rob offered to check in on the baby for him. "He's already had his bottle," Jason explained sleepily. "He probably just lost his pacifier."

Rob headed up the stairs and entered into the newly created nursery. He peered over the crib to see that, just as Jason had predicted, the baby had misplaced his pacifier. "Now where's that pluggie thing that goes in your mouth?," he stated out loud as he ran his hand along the mattress and blanket to locate it. "Ahh, here it is." He placed the lost pacifier back into the baby's mouth who accepted it gratefully. Rob gazed down at the baby and, realizing he didn't appear to be sleepy at all, decided to pick him up. "Let's go sit in the rocking chair buddy and I'll tell you a story," he stated.

Downstairs, Corey and Jason laughed lightly upon hearing Rob's statement transmit through the baby monitor. "A story?" Corey snickered. "This oughta be good!"

Upstairs in the rocker, Rob settled into a comfortable position and adjusted the receiving blanket around the baby so he wouldn't be cold. He then looked down at Liam. Such a beautiful baby, he thought to himself. He was Jason's mini-me to be sure with his large blue eyes and wispy tufts of blond hair. Rob knew he had already fallen head over heels in love with the infant. But he also knew that, most likely, Jason would be moving on once he had a stable job and living arrangement. A sadness washed over him at the thought of Jason potentially leaving him again in the near future.

Rob took a breath and then began to speak to the baby who was intently staring back at him. "Do you know that I used to take care of your daddy when he was younger? He wasn't as young as you are, but he still needed looking after. So I know your daddy really well. You're a very lucky little guy to have him - I hope you know that."

Jason smiled upon hearing the words come over the monitor.

"Now, your Uncle Corey is going to be the fun uncle. He'll probably let you eat all the candy and soda you want, stay up late, and let you play video games all day. But I'm the uncle that's gonna want to make sure you eat your vegetables and get to bed at a reasonable time. Not because I'm trying to be mean but....but...because I love you. And I love your daddy too. Very, very much."      

Jason reached over to grab Corey's hand as he heard those words. They continued to listen in on the couch, each leaning in closer to the monitor to hear better.

Nestled in the crook of Rob's arm, Liam stared up at him wide eyed, still sucking away on his pacifier. He then reached a tiny, chubby hand out from under the blanket and grasped onto Rob's forefinger, squeezing it tightly, producing a proud smile from Rob.

"I'm going to tell you a little secret, okay?" Rob continued on. "Promise you won't tell anybody? I messed up big time last year. I was so afraid of your daddy leaving me that I...I held on to him too tight. I smothered him...and he left me. And then your Uncle Corey left too. I lost the only two people that I ever loved...and I'm going to regret that until the day that I die."  Rob's voice was shaky and cracked as he uttered those last few words.  

Jason swallowed hard as he squeezed Corey's hand even tighter. It was now very apparent that Jason wasn't the only one who was full of remorse and regrets.

Liam then yawned and closed his eyes. Rob continued to rock him for a few minutes longer, then once he knew he had fallen asleep, gently placed him back down in his crib and covered him up for the night.

Rob came downstairs a minute later to find Corey and Jason standing at the bottom of the steps and looking at him. "What? What's wrong?" he asked as he descended the last step. Upon noticing the baby monitor on the coffee table, he rolled his eyes. "Oh shit! Did you guys hear everything I said? That was a private conversation between Liam and me," he said softly with a smile and a touch of embarrassment.

"I'm so sorry, Rob! I'm sorry for everything I did - for everything I said," Jason blurted out. "I spent so much time trying to _find_  myself and rebel against every little thing that I couldn't see I was exactly where I wanted to be. I made a huge mistake and I'm so sorry!"

Jason quickly lunged forward and threw his arms around Rob's neck, almost collapsing into his arms in the process. Not having expected Jason's embrace, Rob took a step back to regain his balance, but then quickly wrapped his arms around what used to belong to him and kissed him on the lips - hard, long and passionately. Jason allowed himself to sink further into the kiss and Rob's arms...it had been over a year since he had received a kiss this overpowering, this full of love and devotion, and he didn't want it to end. Upon ending the kiss, Rob placed his hands over Jason's cheeks and tried to read what was behind those blue eyes as he wasn't sure his ears were hearing the words correctly.

"I fucked up! I don't regret having Liam, but everything else I wish I could take back. I'm so sorry! All the things I said...all the stupid things I did! I never meant to hurt you or Corey!" Jason's eyes had gone glassy and he was clearly fighting back the emotion of tears. "It's all my fault! I ruined everything!"

"No, no it's not, baby. I made mistakes of my own and..." Rob ran his thumbs gently over Jason's cheeks. "I'm sorry too."

"Do you hate me?", Jason's voice cracking as he asked.

"Oh my God, no!" Rob replied in shock at the question. "No, no, no - I could never hate you! I...I love you! I always have and I always will! I love you...and I love that little baby asleep upstairs. Don't you ever for a second think that I don't!"

Jason then buried his head deep into Rob's chest, so relieved at hearing those words, and held on to him like he was drowning in the ocean and Rob was a life preserver.

Rob then turned his attention to Corey who had been silent during the exchange, allowing the other two their moment to forgive each other. Rob reached out to pull him in as well and Corey quickly fell into his arms and received his own much overdue kiss. Corey had been the innocent casualty from the war brought on by the other two, but had been just as hurt and wounded as anybody.

With the three of them now huddled together, arms holding each other tight, Jason again spoke. "I want to work on things...wanna make things right again. I'll take the piercings out if you..."

"No, no. You don't need to do that," Rob offered. "It was never really about that anyway. And I need to work on some things too. I think we were both wrong - we both said and did things we shouldn't have. Corey tried so many times to tell us both that, but...but I guess we just weren't listening." Rob stopped and huffed a small laugh under his breath. "Who would have thought that Corey would have been the voice of reason during that whole time?"

Overjoyed at seeing the two people he loved more than life itself actually communicating in a positive way again, Corey brightly chimed in. "We can make this work if we all try! I know we can! Hey Rob, maybe that counselor you see...do you think she would see all of us?"

Jason raised his head up. "Yeah! Would she do that? To help us work on things?"

"Are you guys serious? You'd be willing to go and talk about our problems with someone?" Rob asked. "Like, couples counseling?"

"Yeah, except for us it would be thruples counseling!" Corey corrected.

Jason nodded his head in agreement. "I'll do anything...anything and everything it takes. I just want to come home so badly," he choked. Jason let out a small sob and reburied his face back into Rob's chest, while holding onto Corey's waist tightly at the same time. "Let me come home Rob, please?"

Rob choked back a wave of emotions. He was overwhelmed with happiness that both his boys were willing to give things a second chance. They were all older and wiser, and they all knew what they had lost in the process when communication broke down. He pulled both of them in as close to him as physically possible, taking a moment to smell each of their scents and caress their hair as he used to do. They had so many things to work through. Their relationship needed time to repair, and they now had the added adjustment of the baby being in the house as well. And there were so many things that Rob wanted to say, but there would be time for all of that eventually. Only one thing really needed to be said at this moment.

"Welcome home, Jason. Welcome home."

~Finis~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's it! I'm almost sad it's finished as I enjoyed writing these characters. I'd like to think that they go on to work toward rebuilding what they had, and that they are soon back to where they were in their relationship. I see Jason helping out with the financial and accounting aspects of Rob's business when he finishes college. And I think Corey's mom would happily take on the role of grandmother and have Liam over for lots of sleepovers to allow the three to have some time to themselves. And how stinkin' adorable would these three be showing up all together at a parent/teacher conference when Liam gets into school? Thanks for reading and I hope it was enjoyed!


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